Pokemon: Yulia
by Naryfiel Lilith
Summary: After a tragic fire killed her father, Yulia and her mother move to the Kalos region to make a new start. There, Yulia is dragged into a Pokemon adventure by well-meaning neighbors. However, as they travel, Yulia finds herself dragged into far more trouble than she ever would've wanted, especially when the fate of her new home rests on her shoulders. [Pokemon Y Novelization]
1. Chapter 1) A New Home

Chapter 1) A New Home

* * *

 _Mom insisted that I start keeping a journal, to 'commemorate the new move'. I don't really want to, but she forced herself to smile, so I feel like I need to at least pretend._

 _Do I need to introduce myself to an inanimate object? What is 'journal protocol'? Oh, whatever. I'll just write._

 _Mom and I moved to Kalos today. 'A new start', she says, but really, it's because there's too many memories in our old house. It's been two months since all the funerals. So now, we're here, in Dad's home region. He'd promised we'd spend a summer here, but now he's gone, and we're living here._

 _I hate all of this._

* * *

Waking up to a bird dive-bombing my chest was not my preferred way to start a morning, especially when it was Mom's creative way to wake me up when she decided I'd been asleep too long.

With a groan, I rolled out of bed, rubbing my eyes and debating if I could sneak a few more hours. A shrill tweet told me 'no', and I glowered down at Mom's Fletchling, a gift from Dad. It looked perfectly pleased with itself and flew out of my room, likely to inform Mom that I was awake. Sighing, I brushed the hair out of my face and glanced at my reflection. I had the same white-blonde hair, the same gold-brown and freckled skin, and the same grey eyes. It wasn't as if a move would suddenly change how I looked. But I kept thinking something would be different. It was a new place, a new region even. Dad was dead, many of my friends are gone, and I was still here, looking the same as always.

Well, 'mostly'. I glanced down at my arms and barely checked the urge to dig my nails into them. The burn scars might be hiding under the sleeves of my pajamas, but they wouldn't go away. They'd never go away. The doctors had offered surgery, but even that would only minimize them…

Shaking my head, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, willing the memories to just disappear. It was supposed to be a new start, so I should be able to escape them.

When I was sure my breathing was even, and I wasn't about to break down crying, I made my way downstairs, following the smell of fresh baked biscuits. I'd read that Kalos wasn't much of a breakfast country, but it had always been 'the most important' meal of the day for us. So, Mom went about cooking with gusto, singing off-key as she made enough food for twenty people. I wondered if she was going to share some with the neighbors.

"Ah, good morning, Yulia~!" Mom greeted, smiling warmly. She had flour in her hair. "All rested up from the move?"

"Sure," I answered with a shrug. I headed for the cupboards to pull out some plates. It took a few tries to remember where they were. "Smells good."

"Thank you~" She kissed my cheek and gave me a scrutinizing look. "Yulia, sweetie, you look like you just rolled out of bed."

"What a coincidence. I did."

"Did you even brush your hair?"

"No?" I got the plates and started setting the table. "Don't see a point."

"I know it's not as long as it used to be, dear, but…" She sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Mom, the fire wasn't your fault." It was… that arsonist, the one I definitely didn't know, even if I thought I once did. The one I thought had been my friend, who had tried to use 'I didn't know you were there!' as a defense. "I'm fine. I'm alive." But that was only because of Dad. When we'd been trapped, Dad had wrapped himself around me, kept me safe and…

A shrill tweet nearly made me scream, and I blinked slowly as I realized Fletchling was in front of my face. As soon as he saw me focusing on him, he flew to my shoulder and nuzzled me. I couldn't help but smile and carefully scratched his head, listening to him trill in contentment.

"And here is breakfast~!" Mom declared, setting food on the table. She gave me a studying look, eyes narrowed. "Aren't you going to get dressed?"

"Why would I?" I asked, sitting down. I broke off a tiny piece of a biscuit to feed Fletchling. "It's not like I'm going anywhere today."

"Don't you want to go explore the town?" She sat down across from me, giving me a smile. "Meet the neighbors?"

"No, not really." But as if life was mocking me, the doorbell rang right then. "Are you expecting company?"

"No?" She looked just as confused. "Oh, I hope it's not fanboys again."

"Right, because the fangirls were the picture of sanity." Sighing, I stood up and headed to the door, preparing to yell at whoever was there. But, to my surprise, there were only two people standing on the porch: a boy with a calm expression and an outfit that evoked the Kalosi flag, and a girl that reminded me of a brown and pink Mincinno with a bright-bright smile.

"Hello there," the boy greeted. "Welcome to Vaniville Town." He held out his hand, and I took it to shake. "My name is Calem; I live next door."

"And I'm Shauna~!" the girl declared, puffing out her chest proudly. "I live across the street! It's great to meet you!"

"Um… nice to meet you?" I replied automatically, not really sure what was going on. It was far too early for this sort of thing. "Did you need something?"

"Well, we came to get you!" Shauna answered, bouncing on her toes. I tried to figure out how she had all this energy. "We're going on a trip!"

"Shauna, you're confusing her," Calem chided, shaking his head. "Regardless, though, Professor Sycamore, Kalos's most famous pokemon professor, has a task for five kids, including us three."

"How does he know about me?" I asked dryly. This just sounded creepy. "I just moved here."

"We're not sure. But Trevs called to tell us to snag you too."

"So, let's get going!" Shauna cheered. She ran down the path and waved. "I'll wait for you two in the next town! This is gonna be fun! After all…" She paused dramatically, eyes sparkling as she leaned forward. "We're getting Pokemon!" She disappeared down the path, and I heard the sounds of a gate opening and closing.

I was still staring, not quite sure what was going on. Calem gave me a sympathetic smile. "The now is small, so between gossip and news, we've all heard something about why you moved," he explained quietly. I instantly tensed, and he shook his head. "I promise; it's not much, and no one here will ask for more. But Shauna thought we should go ahead and get you, so that you can acclimate to the move faster."

"By throwing me into the ocean and hope I swim?" I deadpanned. I felt like I was drowning in weirdness. "That seems smart."

"Well, I can swim if you can't." He laughed a little. "But I thought you'd might want a little more explanation. Of course, that's about all we know too."

"I see." I awkwardly stood in the doorway, trying to figure out a way to refuse that didn't make me sound like an ass. Sadly, I couldn't, so I sighed. "Do you want breakfast? I haven't eaten, and I need to get dressed."

"I wouldn't mind some, if your mom doesn't mind the company." He snapped his fingers suddenly. "Oh, right, I didn't get your name, did I?"

"It's Yulia." I stepped out of the way to let him in. "Yulia Gladiola."

* * *

Aquacorde Town was barely fifteen minutes away, even when you dragged your heels on the path. I wondered why the two towns were so close, yet were separate. I supposed one group decided to be snobby and leave.

"There's the cafe," Calem pointed out, gesturing to a table. Shauna was there with two strange boys, waving wildly. "Oh, looks like they bought us things."

"What would they have gotten me?" I asked, fiddling with the sleeves of my jacket. Mom had insisted that I wear my high-waisted black dress, but I hadn't wanted to bare the scars, so we'd added a light jacket. "They don't know what I like, or what allergies I might have." Honestly, these people were so… heavy-handed.

"It looks like they got five things, and none of them are drinking yet, so I think you'd get first pick." Calem waved back and led me to the table. He pulled out a chair for me to sit, and then sat next to me. "So, what did you buy?"

"We've got chai, hot chocolate, apple cider, coffee, and this amazing mint tea~" Shauna answered. She gave me a beaming smile, and I sincerely wondered if she had an 'off' button. "They're the best this cafe sells, but if you want something else instead, let us know right away!"

I _wanted_ to be left alone, but I had a feeling that wasn't going to happen. "I'll take the chai," I murmured. She passed me the mug, and then set about dividing the rest. "...Thank you…" Even if I didn't want it, it was best to be polite.

"No worries~ I know we did just drag you out!" She giggled and sipped her drink, humming in delight. "Seriously, this is the best!"

"And this is why we never even let you try coffee," Calem teased, smiling slightly. He shook his head and turned to me. "Ah, yes, but we do need to introduce everyone. Everyone, this is Yulia."

"Hi," I mumbled, half-hiding in my mug. This was a good chai, with just the right amount of sweetness. "Nice to meet you." The two strange boys murmured something polite that I didn't quite catch, and I felt even more awkward.

Calem, thankfully, came to the rescue. "Yulia, this is Tierno." He gestured to the bigger of the strange boys. "He can really tear up the dance floor." Tierno helpfully stood up to do a quick little step, smiling broadly. "As you can see!" Calem waited until Tierno sat down before gesturing to the other boy, whose hair seemed almost as big as his head. "This here is Trevor. He can be a little shy, but he's super smart. He always gets perfect scores on his tests." Little Trevor smiled, ducking his head.

"It's great to meet you!" Tierno cheerfully said. Trevor nodded vigorously, smile widening. At least, I was pretty sure those were the right names. Both seemed equally forgettable, so I hoped I wouldn't confuse the two. "Hey, can I call you Lady Y?"

"What? No way!" Shauna yelped, leaping to her feet and leaning against the table. I tried to figure out what was going on. "She's a Li'l Y for sure!" Her eyes glinted as she focused on Trevor. "What do you think, Trevor?"

"What?!" Trevor yelped, jumping a bit in his seat. His eyes were wide and frantic. "You want me to nickname someone I just met?!" He slowly calmed down enough to pout. "Shauna, you shouldn't put people on the spot like this!"

"Yeah, yeah, just give your opinion!"

"Well…" He glanced at me before ducking his head. "What about something low key? Maybe… something like Y-kins?"

"I don't suppose it ever occurred to you three that she might not want a nickname?" Calem asked dryly, coming to my rescue again. I simply nodded. "See? It warms the heart that you're wanting to be friendly, but be careful not to overwhelm her!"

"Oops…" Tierno mumbled, laughing sheepishly. He gave me a smile. "Sorry, we're a friendly sort of people. Part of the job, actually. But that means we'll sometimes get a little pushy. Feel free to push back if it gets too much."

"Yes, please, do!" Shauna confirmed, smiling softly. "I mean; we just met! We'll be learning your boundaries, just as you'll learn ours!" She giggled, and turned her attention back to Tierno and Trevor, leaving me to bite back my retort that I didn't _want_ to learn anything about them, much less their boundaries. "Hey! Can we see the pokemon now?" Her eyes glittered with anticipation. "I want to meet my new partner!"

"Certainly!" Tierno replied, pulling three Pokeballs out of his bag and popping them open to reveal a green squirrel, a yellow fox, and a blue frog. I could already guess what types all of them were. "So, this is Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie. They're gifts from Professor Sycamore." He smiled warmly. "Go ahead! Pick one each!"

"Oooo~" Shauna squealed. "They're all so cute, cute, cute! I don't know which one to pick!" She looked to Calem and me. "One of you pick first! Help me narrow it down!"

"Shauna, you're ridiculous," Calem laughed. I wondered if all of them were insane. "You shouldn't force your choices on other people."

"Come on, Calem! Help a girl out!"

The two of them playfully bickered while Tierno and Trevor looked on with endeared anticipation. I just sipped my chai, and stared at the three Pokemon, wondering about them. I knew a lot about Pokemon in general; I'd helped my dad with his research. But I didn't know much about Kalosi Pokemon, so some tiny part of me was curious. The rest just didn't care and wanted to get back to bed.

However, one of them, the fox, looked right back at me. Then it gave a little, cheerful yip and trotted over to me, actually jumping from the table to my lap. As I continued to stare, it all but smiled and licked my chin before curling into my chest.

"I think you've been claimed," Tierno laughed. The others looked at me with cheerful indulgence. "That's Fennekin, a fire type Pokemon! You want her?"

"Uh…" I began, trying to figure out how to refuse. The Fennekin looked up at me, though, and rubbed her face against my neck, clearly telling me 'you are mine. I claim you.', so I sighed and wrapped my arms around her. She was very soft and very warm. "Sure. I'll take her."

"Excellent!" Tierno pulled out a little computer and started typing things into it. "Do you want to give her a nickname?"

"Um…" I hesitated before nodding. Dad always nicknamed his. "Gwen." I looked at her and she yipped. "Yes, Gwen sounds good."

"Okay!" He typed a few more things and nodded. "All right. She's all registered. Yulia, you are now an official Pokemon trainer!"

"That's amazing, Yulia!" Shauna laughed. "Okay, then I'll take Chespin!" She picked it up and squeezed it. "We go together great~! The two of us are just way-ay-ay too cute~"

Calem, by contrast, was calm as he scratched his Froakie's head. "Good to meet you, Froakie," he whispered. "My name is Calem. Because of you, I can be a real Pokemon trainer, so thank you."

"Uh… pardon me, but I have something for you three as well," Trevor whispered. "It'll help you understand Pokemon on a much deeper level." He produced three red machines and handed them to us. "Um… so you see…" He fidgeted under all the attention. "The Pokedex I just gave you is a high-tech device that automatically records the pokemon you encounter." He smiled slightly. "A lot of the entries were written by some past Champions of various other countries." He grinned. "The really famous ones, the ones that stopped those foreign crime syndicates!"

"So, like Champion Blake of Unova?" I asked. I knew her story well. I'd been visiting Unova when she traveled the country and stopped Team Plasma two years ago.

"Exactly!" He nodded eagerly. "Of course, we can add what information we learn to it as well. After all, the reason we get them is because the professor wants us to go on a journey with our Pokemon to help complete the Kalosi pokedex. There's been a lot of new migration patterns for Pokemon recently, so we need a better record of what Pokemon are native."

"Oh, lighten up, Trevs!" Tierno teased, clapping him on the back. His laptop was shut, so I supposed he'd finished registering Shauna and Calem. "You're way too serious sometimes."

"And you're never serious enough," Trevor instantly retorted. He shook his head and pulled an envelope out of his bag. "This is a letter from the professor. He said you should give it to your mom." Reluctantly, I took the letter, eyeing it warily. If this was love letter to Mom, I was just going to drown the stupid thing. We had enough to shred at the house. "And, well, that's it? I'm sure everyone needs to pack and everything, though, so let's get going for the day."

There was some murmuring of consent, and the others stood up. I did the same, and awkwardly stood to the side as they chatted about things I didn't know about, and easily gathered up all the mugs. Feeling like even more of an outsider, I hid my face in Gwen's soft fur and started to head down the path back to the house.

"Yulia~!" Shauna's voice stopped me as I reached the edge of town, and when I turned, I saw she'd followed me. "Hey, I've got a great idea!" she declared. "You're gonna be my opponent in my Pokemon-battling debut!" She nudged her Chespin in front of her while I stared in confusion. "OK, Li'l Chespin! It's our first battle!" She spun on her toes and beamed. "Let's win this with style!"

"Wait, what?" I blurted. Before I could say more, Gwen had jumped down from my arms and voiced a little battle cry, clearly ready for a battle. "Uh… okay?" I stepped back to give the Pokemon a little more room. "Let's go?"

"Okay!" She pulled out her Pokedex and frowned over it before nodding. "Let's go with… Tackle!"

As Chespin lunged and tackled Gwen, I fumbled for my Pokedex too and pulled up a screen. To my surprise, it was more than an encyclopedia. It actually gave me a list of moves Gwen knew, though it only showed four per page, and gave some sort of numeric representation of how many times the move could be used safely. I assumed that meant I should keep the four moves I used the most on the first page.

I glanced through the three moves on the page, and took a guess. "Gwen, use Ember?" I called. Gwen cheerfully complied, and I tried not to wince at the burns that appeared on Shauna's Chespin. "Just… use that again?" She did, getting the attack off before Chespin could attack again. This time, Chespin went down and struggled to get up before falling flat on his face.

I… guessed that meant I won?

"Hey!" Shauna yelped. "I wasn't done watching my cute Li'l Chespin yet!" She sulked, and I tried to figure out why that was my problem. "Oh well." She picked up her Chespin and smiling warmly at me. "You're amazing, Yulia! Here, let me show you where to get your Gwen fixed up!"

"Okay?" I replied, still a little confused. Gwen cheerfully trotted back over to me and leapt into my arms. "You did a good job, Gwen." I petted her back, and smiled slightly when she curled into me.

"Oh, you smiled!" Shauna's own smile grew. "You have a pretty smile, Yulia." She ran down the path and stopped to turn back towards me. "This way! This way! Calem is buying us some more drinks for the walk back!" That explained where he was, then. "Come on!"

"I'll be right there."

* * *

"I'm home," I called as I walked in the door at last. Calem and Shauna had ended up giving me a tour of both towns, and so, my feet were hurting and the sun was setting. We'd ended up eating lunch together, while Tierno and Trevor went to a motel they were staying at. Apparently, neither of them lived here, and knew Calem and Shauna from trips to the city.

"Welcome back, dear!" Mom called. She had a soft smile, but she squealed in delight when she saw Gwen trotting about the living room. "Oh, who's this cutie-pie~?"

"Gwen, my Fennekin." I set my bag on the counter and rummaged through it for the letter. "Here." I pulled it out and passed it to her. "This is for you."

"Is it now?" She eyed it critically, laughing a little. "I wonder if it's another love letter." She popped it open with ease and unfolded the letter within. "Wow, what lovely handwriting…" She hummed a little. "He must be quite good with his hands."

"Seriously, Mom?" I rolled my eyes. "That's the last thing a girl wants to hear her mom say."

"Oh, hush, how do you think you got born anyway?"

"Arceus decided to bless a lucky couple and sent the regional flier down with a baby in swaddle clothes." I kept my voice deadpan and it made her laugh. "Regardless, is it?"

"No, it's just a polite letter from Professor Sycamore explaining his request." Her smile softened. "Well, I certainly don't mind. He and your father collaborated on quite a few projects, especially when they were younger."

"Really?" I hadn't known that. I knew that Dad worked with a lot of famous Pokemon Professors, yes, but not that this Professor Sycamore was one of them. "That might explain a little more how he knew about my being here."

"It might also explain why he asked you. He's a family acquaintance, even if you haven't met him before." She laughed, setting the letter down to clap her hands. "We've barely unpacked, and all kinds of exciting things are happening!" She nodded to herself, humming a bit. "It's like that last burst of speed from a racer in a Rhyhorn race!"

"That would imply that I'm at the finish line."

"I suppose." She turned to face me. "I don't know what Professor Sycamore wants you to see, but a journey with your Pokemon is a really wonderful experience." She sighed gustily, smiling. "Why, I first met your father when I was-"

"Do I really need to hear this again?"

"Maybe not." She clapped her hands. "Here, let's go ahead and get you all packed. Then we can make dinner together. I think I've taught you enough so you won't starve, but you'll be taking care of a cute little Fennekin."

"I… yes?" I glanced at Gwen, who was happily playing with Fletchling, and I wondered just was she _did_ eat. "Um…"

"Oh, this is so exciting!" She ran out of the room, humming again. "Let's see… toiletries, clothes, cooking and camping supplies…"

I could only stare at her back, feeling a little winded. You'd think that my own mother would have second thoughts at kicking her sixteen-year-old daughter out of the house, but everything about Kalos was weird.

I wished we never moved here.

* * *

 _Notes on Gwen_

 _A female Fennekin with a modest nature, whatever that means_

 _Fire type_

 _Very affectionate and warm. She likes curling up next to me while I sleep, and nuzzles me when I jerk awake from nightmares._

* * *

Author's Note: Welcome to Pokemon Y novelization, starring Yulia, our 16 year old protag. I'm making all five of the kids around that age, mostly because I don't trust my ability to write a 10 year old. I read somewhere that X and Y takes place at about the same time as Black 2 and White 2, which is two years after Pokemon Black and White. Blake was the primary name I used for that game, so I went ahead and used that one here.

This story is dedicated to my enabling friends. They know who they are.

Next Chapter - Catching Pokemon tutorial time


	2. Chapter 2) Care

Chapter 2) Care

* * *

 _So, I have a Pokemon now. It was all very sudden, and I keep wondering why these people just expect me to play along. I just freaking moved here, and I suddenly am supposed to just… go off on an adventure? No one asked me if I wanted to go anywhere. They just went 'HAVE A POKEMON, HAVE A POKEDEX, KTHNX BYEZ~'._

 _I hate all of this. I just wanted to spend the rest of my days in my room._

* * *

Slowly, I stirred awake, blinking blearily at the sunshine streaming through my window. I'd forgotten to close the curtains as I'd stayed up playing video games, and I paid for it by waking up far earlier than I would've like. I debated going back to bed, but Gwen licked my nose and nuzzled my cheek, telling me to get up.

"Fine, fine," I sighed, slowly sitting up. I petted her, smoothing down her fur. She immediately hopped into my lap and gave me a pleading look. "I bet you're hungry." I wasn't, but Gwen really liked that feed I'd bought yesterday.

She immediately jumped down from my lap and ran in a little circle before going to the door. She waited for me there, continuing to stare.

"I take that as a 'yes'." I pushed myself up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I hadn't slept well. The nightmares were particularly bad. "Did I keep you up?" Gwen shook her head. "Really, now?" That surprised me. I'd tossed and turned a lot, and whenever I woke, she'd been right there to nuzzle me and help me calm down. "Well, so long as one of us slept well…"

Gwen walked over and sat on my foot, staring up at me. I bent down to pick her up, and she instantly braces herself on my shoulder to nuzzle my cheek, as if she was trying to say 'hey, it will be okay'. The worthless platitude seemed actually sincere when it came from a Pokemon.

"Well, if you're hungry, we'd better get moving," I murmured. I tucked her against my chest and headed out the door, making my way downstairs. The air was thick with the scent of freshly baked biscuits, so I assumed Mom was whipping up another breakfast feast. It took me a moment to realize it was even livelier than usual, and I wondered if she had the TV on. Then I actually entered the living room and realized that we had guests. Calem was sitting on the couch, flipping through channels, while Shauna was in the kitchen with Mom, happily helping her cook.

"Your mother invited us in," Calem explained when he saw me looking. His Froakie was sitting in his lap, watching everything warily. "We told her that we'd come back after you woke up, but she was insistent."

"Of course she was," I sighed. Slowly, I sat in a chair in the living room, and Gwen curled up on my lap. Once upon a time, I might've been embarrassed about a stranger seeing me with unbrushed hair and in my PJs, but I just didn't care. Besides, he'd seen it yesterday. "What are you two doing here so early?"

"Well, we're going on our Pokemon Journey, remember?" He smiled, and I bit back my retort about how it was 'their' journey. I was just the person being dragged along. "Trevor and Tierno will meet us in Santalune Forest. That's about half a day's walk from here, if you walk a bit quickly."

"I see." I absently petted Gwen and she rubbed her face against my hand. "Well, you've seen the feast. It looks like this will be worse."

"I'm surprised you can eat so much in the mornings." He glanced at the kitchen and visibly winced at the amount of food. "This seems more like lunch."

"Where we're from, breakfast was often considered the most important meal of the day." I shrugged. "Besides, most of Mom's races were afternoon or evening, so she's just in the habit of a huge breakfast and a light lunch. It lessened the chances of her being sick on the track."

"Oh, that makes sense." He still eyed the food warily. "Still, that is going to be a lot to eat."

"Don't eat it all if you don't want."

"I don't want to be rude."

"What you don't eat will be used to spoil Rhyhorn and Fletchling. Really, not eating just means giving them more treats."

"Really?" He looked relieved at that. "That's… your mother's cooking is delicious, do not get me wrong-"

"Calem." I gave him a look as he squirmed. "I get it. Believe me, I do." He wasn't used to it and didn't want to be rude. It was the same mentality that got me caught up in _this_ damn mess. "So, stop rambling."

"Right…" He gave me a little sheepish smile before focusing on the TV. "So… what sort of shows do you like?"

"I don't watch much TV anymore, but we can go with the news."

"News it is." He flipped the channels until he found the news and sat back as the news rambled about some kid who bought thirty pokeballs before switching to someone with a sharp suit, and the weirdest hair style I'd seen in a while. "Oh, hey, that's Lysandre."

"Who?"

"Lysandre. He's a former student of Professor Sycamore's, and his genius is only rivaled by his charity." He pointed to the running tagline that summarized the report, and I saw how this Lysandre had donated a lot of money to build some hospitals and Pokemon Centers in more remote areas of Kalos. "He's the inventor of the Holo Caster." He paused. "Do you have one?"

"Yeah, it was a birthday gift." I tried not to flinch at the memory. Dad had gotten me it when he told me that we'd head to Kalos for the summer. Five hours later, he and many of my friends were dead from a fire. "It's useful."

"Very, and he creates updates all the time, while also funding a lot of research and everything." Calem beamed, and I thought it was clear he had a bit of a hero. "I've heard that he has difficulties communicating his feelings, so he comes off as a lot terser and sterner than expected. That's why he's silent in most public things like this."

"Oh, I just thought it was the news just showing voiceless footage again." I shrugged, and noted the next report was about Diantha and her latest movie. "I'd forgotten she was native to Kalos."

"Diantha is _amazing_ ~!" Shauna appeared from nowhere, but Calem didn't even twitch, despite her jumping on the couch to sit next to him. "She's the Champion of the Kalos region _and_ is a famous actress _and_ does modeling _and_ is super beautiful!" She sighed happily, clapping. "I loved her latest movie. Have you seen it? I've got a portable movie thing that I'm bringing with me, so we can watch it!"

"I… haven't seen it, no," I answered slowly. It had come out two days after the fire. I'd still been in the hospital. "It's a remake, though, right?"

"Yep~!" Shauna leapt to her feet. "By the way, breakfast will be ready soon~!" She ran back into the kitchen, her Chespin trotting after her faithfully as it helped with the food. "We'll leave after we've eaten!"

"I'll… get changed then…" I wished someone could get me off this crazy train, but clearly, everyone was very convinced that I needed to be on it whether I liked it or not. "Is she always like this?"

"You get used to it," Calem reassured. He smiled. "Double check your pack. It'll be a few days until we reach the next town after we leave Aquacorde."

"All right."

* * *

After changing, we all had a too-lively breakfast, with Shauna and Mom providing a lot of noisy gossip and Calem asked a couple of questions. I kept quiet, wincing at each laugh that grated on my nerves. I mumbled answers to questions thrown my way, and escaped to do dishes as soon as I possibly could. Gwen followed on my heels, and even helped out a bit by picking up plates with her teeth and passing them to me. Of course, she hadn't liked it when I'd mistaken her tail for a dishcloth, but she'd just been sullen for a split-second before going back to helping me.

When the dishes were done, and they were done eating, Shauna and Calem dragged me to Avance Trail, the route behind Aquacorde town to 'start our journey'. Mom had waved farewell, and Rhyhorn had roared a sendoff of his own. I felt like they were just trying to get rid of me. I didn't much like that feeling.

"So, Calem is going to show me how to catch Pokemon!" Shauna happily explained. I dragged myself out of my thoughts to focus. "Come on!" She took my hand and tugged me towards where Calem was . "Learn with me!"

"I already know," I mumbled. It really was basic. "So…"

"Really?" Her eyes were wide and she bounced on her toes. "Are your parents amazing trainers like Calem's?" Everything froze at the words, and she looked confused as I just _stared_. "What's wrong?"

"Seriously, Shauna?" Calem groaned, facepalming. Shauna looked confused for a split second more before gasping and covering her mouth, looking guilty. "Just… ignore her."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," Shauna mumbled, drooping. "Ugh, that was so stupid."

"...You're both making a bigger deal of it than it is," I replied slowly. I was too tired and hurting to deal with any of this. "Mom's a famous Rhyhorn racer, so she taught me. Dad…" My throat closed up as I thought of him, but I coughed to clear it. "He was bad with things like Pokemon battles. He loved them, but he was always too much of a workaholic to take care of one alone. That's why we only have two: Mom's Fletchling and her famous Rhyhorn."

"Oh, right, your mom is famous for winning over twenty five races in a row, right?"

"Yeah." The twenty-fifth race had been two years ago in Unova, a championship. She retired from racing soon afterwards, as she'd been feeling the strain on her body. "You were going to be learning something, though?"

"Oh, right!" She turned to Calem, who looked fondly exasperated. "Sorry~ Show me, show me!"

She and Calem wandered into the tall grass, where he started giving her a tutorial on the basics of capturing Pokemon. I sat down in the grass near their bags, and released Gwen so that she could run about. I wasn't sure what things were like in the Pokeball, but I imagined she liked fresh air. Certainly, she seemed to like frolicking through the flowers.

"Oh, wow!" Shauna suddenly gasped. I glanced over to see their little lesson was over. "It went inside the Pokeball?!" I sincerely wondered if she'd been dropped on her head as a child. "Wow!"

"Shauna, just what, exactly, did you think your Chespin was in?" Calem deadpanned, looking exasperated. Apparently, things like this were common. She wasn't very bright, was she? "Come on, now."

"Oh, right." She laughed a little, bouncing a bit on her toes. "I forgot."

"Shauna, some days…" He shook his head and smiled at me. "And that's that. Do you have Pokeballs?" He nodded when I shook my head. "Here, I'll give you both some."

"Calem, you're the best!" Shauna then noticed Gwen running about and squealed, releasing her Chespin so that she and he could play with Gwen. I would've made a comment, but Gwen seemed to enjoy the game of tag, so I kept silent.

"Okay, so I have fifty to split…" Calem murmured as he knelt by his bag. I bit back a yelp at how _absurdly many_ Pokeballs he had. "Even three way split? Oh, but Shauna is likely going to get excited and throw them too soon…"

"Just give me ten," I whispered. He yelped, and I gave him a look. "You were talking."

"Thinking aloud." He smiled sheepishly. "So… ah… ten?"

"Yeah." It would be way more than I intended on using. "Then you and Shauna can split the rest evenly."

"If you're sure…" He set about pulling ten Pokeballs from his pack. I pushed mine over so that he could just drop them in. He actually took the time to put them all in the same pocket, for 'convenience'. "Are you all right?"

"About?"

"Earlier. With Shauna's accidental…"

"I'm fine." The words were clipped, far more than I had wanted, and I shook my head. "She mentioned your parents were 'amazing trainers'?"

"Ah, yes." He sat down and closed his pack. "They were gym leaders when they were younger, but as I got older, they decided that they'd rather be with me, so they retired." He shrugged, looking up at the sky. "Dad was the Lumiose Gym Leader, while Mom was the Leader of Laverre's Gym. We lived in Lumiose before they retired, and then we moved here. That was about ten years ago now." He shook his head and returned his attention to me. "Still, just because they're skilled doesn't mean I'm magically just as skilled. I'll work for it, just as they did."

"What will you do after that?"

"I'm not sure. For now, though, I want to journey and learn what it means to be strong." He pushed himself to his feet and brushed himself off. "I'm heading into the forest. What will you do?"

"I'm…" A splash made me turn, and I sighed when I realized Shauna had fallen into the little stream. "I think I'm going to keep an eye on her."

"Good luck." He bent down to pat my shoulder and walked off, waving goodbye as he went.

I debated just continuing to sit there, but sighed and went to help Shauna out of the water. I lent her a towel I'd packed, and then she was off exploring the tall grass for Pokemon. Her Chespin followed her faithfully, while Gwen came over to curl up for a nap at my side. I wondered if I could pick her up and escape back home, but Shauna kept turning to me and chatting about nothing as she wandered. I tuned her out most times, but sometimes I listened in, just to see if she'd actually say something of worth.

"So, I'm really sorry about earlier!" Shauna rambled. She crouched down to look at a particularly shiny rock. "Really sorry!" I waved the concern away, and decided to switch back to tuning her out. "You'd think I'd have a little more tact since I'm an orphan."

"You're… what?" I asked, all my own thoughts stopping at that. She was so chipper that I would've guessed she had a picture perfect home life.

"An orphan!" She stood up and turned, smiling ruefully. "When I was little, I lived at Lumiose City. I'd been playing with my neighbor, Clemont, when I learned there'd been some accident at their work. They were both scientists, and an experiment went way wrong, way fast. They and most of their colleagues died." She shrugged. "After the funerals, my family debated what they were going to do with me. Only my uncle was willing to take me in, so here I am!" Her smile brightened. "Uncle Hakim and Aunt Jamilla raised me since then, alongside their kids, though I go to Lumiose frequently to visit my parents and Clemont. He's got a little sister named Bonnie, and she's _so_ cute. I actually met Trevor while visiting them."

"Oh." I had no idea how to reply. It was far more information about her than I cared to know, but at the same time, there was some part of me that was curious. _How_ did she manage to be so chipper? She'd been young, and had lost both parents. How did she manage to be happy?

"So, yeah." She kept on talking, completely oblivious to my conflicting feelings. "Don't feel bad yelling at me. I get excited and I'll forget all sorts of common sense." I chose not to reply to that one, despite countless of potential responses. "Oh!" She gasped and turned, squealing at something. "How cute~" She made to urge Chespin forward, but then paused and turned to face me. "Hey, Yulia, how about you catch it?"

"What?" I stared at her, not quite comprehending what she said, and she came over to drag me into the grass. "Hold on now…"

"Ta-da!" She pushed me forward and it took me a second to realize there was a Fletchling eyeing us warily. "Go on! Catch it!"

"I… you can't seriously…" I tried to protest, but then Gwen was at my feet, bouncing and yipping. "Seriously?" I sighed, facepalming. "Oh, _fine_." I brought out my Pokedex and frowned at how little information it gave me on the Fletchling: species, 'level' (whatever that meant), gender (male in this case), and a pretty little bar that represented 'health' without giving me hard numbers like it did for Gwen. "This thing is the weirdest thing."

"It's super cool!" Shauna bounced next to me, incredibly excited. "Go on!"

"R-right…" I glanced at the Pokedex again before looking up at the Fletchling. "Gwen, just… tackle it?" Gwen happily went after it, jumping up to knock it down. The Fletchling simply growled in reply, and I noticed the Pokedex make note of Gwen's 'attack' going down. That reminded me of how some Pokemon could 'weaponize' their Growl, intimidating their opponents and making strikes weaker. "Tackle again." That, however, would make it easier to whittle down. While technically you _could_ catch an unconscious Pokemon, it was looked down upon since an unconscious Pokemon couldn't fight the Pokeball. "Once more."

Shauna cheered as Gwen knocked the Fletchling down and peered over my shoulder to look at the Pokedex. "Oh, looks like it's health is down!" she happily told me. "Go on! Throw your Pokeball!"

"Okay, okay!" I had to fight the urge to lean away. She was so loud. "Well, here goes…" I fetched one of the Pokeballs from my bag and threw it. I expected to miss, but Gwen helpfully knocked the Pokeball at the struggling Fletchling. The Pokeball opened up instantly, and converted the Fletchling into a bit of light that it drew into itself. It shook once fiercely, twice a little less, and thrice weakly... before a very audible 'click' signaled that it was successfully captured.

"You did it!" Shauna cheered, jumping for joy as if _she_ had been the one to catch it. I held off replying as Gwen fetched the Pokeball for me and trotted over to place it in my waiting hand. "Go on! Send it out! Let's meet it!"

"Well, sure," I replied. I tossed the Pokeball out, and out came Fletchling, who instantly started flying around me. I looked up his data in the Pokedex as he flitted around me, landing on my shoulder and tugging at my hair. "My hair isn't worms or… whatever you actually eat." I picked him off my shoulder and brought him up towards my face. "Well, you up for traveling with me?" He studied me for a long moment before chirping and nodding. "All right. Then let's… get a nickname for you." I racked my brain for something. "How about 'Urien'?" He chirped again, this time bouncing in my hands. "All right then. Welcome to the craziness, Urien."

"Oh, he's so cute~!" Shauna reached over to scratch Urien's head, and I debated checking if her back had an 'off' switch. "Super cute! You're amazing, Yulia!"

Someone, save me. "Well, he's caught. What's the plan now?"

"We should get our Pokemon treated, and stock up on healing supplies!" Though her tone was cheerful, I noticed how her eyes were actually a bit serious. I was surprised she even knew _how_ to be serious. "Santalune and the others await!"

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time Shauna and I finally entered Santalune Forest. It was cool, much cooler than expected, and Shauna rattled off some random facts that I didn't pay attention to, except for how Santalune Forest served as a 'trial ground' for beginning trainers.

I wasn't surprised. In many other regions, there was a forest near the city where a Pokemon Professor resided, often serving as a 'first test' for new trainers. Kalos, it seemed, was no different. It made me curious as to why so many regions independently came on that idea, and I wondered if it was just convenience, or if there had been some ancient association with it. I'd read that the Alola region had 'trial grounds' that were kept up for their Island Challenge. Had there been something similar in the other regions before being replaced by the Gym Challenge?

Of course, my curiosity was tackled off by all the damn trainers looking for a battle. Very sad.

"So, you apply the potion like this," Shauna explained, helping me tend to Urien while Gwen ran around with Chespin, fighting and playing with the wild Pokemon. "You'll have to work it through the feathers, but once it sticks, it'll start patching them up instantly."

"What are these things even made of?" I mumbled, noticing she was absolutely right. It was actually a little unnerving to see it heal so quickly. "Any ideas?"

"Not a clue~" She smiled brightly, flopping down in the flowers as I continued to tend to Urien's injuries. "But it's super cool, yes?"

"Sure." I thought it super creepy, but clearly, I was the weird one. "You're good at this."

"Well, Aunt Jamilla is a nurse, and part of her training was in tending to Pokemon, just in case the Pokemon Center was overrun." She shrugged. "So, I watched her. When I was little, I wanted to be a nurse like her, but I'm not sure I can handle being around so many hurt people on a daily basis."

"So, why are you traveling, then?"

"So that I can make memories! And so that I can focus on what I want to do." She smiled. "But mostly memories. When we're older, we won't be able to hang out as much."

"I see." I petted Urien and scratched him under the beak when he hopped onto my shoulder. "You should battle the next one."

"No way. I'm bad at it, and your Pokemon love it." She grinned, rolling onto her stomach and kicking her feet up. "Besides, it's fun watching." She pointed ahead, where we could catch glimpses of Calem confidently striding forward, Trevor cautiously searching through the tall grass, and Tierno flailing in a Pokemon battle. "I love puzzles, so I watch everything very closely!" She said it cheerfully, and I couldn't help but wonder if I was just another 'puzzle' to her, a broken girl she was going to 'fix'.

I hated the idea. I didn't need to be fixed, especially by some strange girl with more energy than a Pachirisu.

"Well, my Pokemon might need a break," I replied instead, choosing to also not point out how little I wanted to do any of this. "So, the next trainer is yours."

"Nooooo!" She dramatically flailed, before laughing. "Oh, hey, are your feet feeling better?"

"They are, a little." My feet had started hurting after hiking through grass, climbing over logs, and running away from creepy, persistent trainers. My shoes were new and hadn't been broken in yet. New clothes for a new house and a 'new start'. It was more of 'throw everything away and try to forget.' The only things not new in our house were the photos and the Pokemon. Even the furniture and my games were new.

"I can show you some stretches to help." She twisted so that she was sitting up. "But do you want to go on, or just make camp here?"

"Well, it does look like the sun is setting. It was harder to tell thanks to all the trees, but it was noticeably darker. "So, we should set up camp."

"Okay!" She set about clearing the surrounding area of some debris, and spraying some Repels in a circle around our 'camp' to help keep wild Pokemon from coming in and stealing our food or ripping our stuff. "You need to borrow my tent?"

"No, I'm fine." I tugged the tightly wrapped tent from my bag, and set about getting it up. It took me a few tries, and even then, I thought about just ignoring it and sleeping outside. I could handle a few bug Pokemon crawling over me.

When I got done with all of that, I turned to discover Shauna had gotten her tent up already, standing picture perfect, and was working on a fire. When I saw how frustrated she looked, I looked down at Gwen in silent question. She yipped in agreement and went to the wood, setting it aflame with a simple Ember.

"Whoa!" Shauna breathed, eyes wide. "So cool!" She grinned at me. "Thanks, Yulia~ And thank _you_ , Gwen!" She scratched Gwen behind the ears and held her hands out to warm them. "Ah, nothing better than a campfire."

"Hey, mind if I share the campfire?" Tierno asked, popping up out of nowhere. Shauna yelped and fell back on her butt; I just tended to the fire. "Sorry, Shauna."

"You should be!" She sulked at him. "Ow, that hurt."

"Sorry!" Tierno plopped down by the fire and sighed with a smile. "Ah, warmth… this forest gets stupidly cold."

"Well, it is Autumn." Shauna pulled a map of Kalos out of her pack and spread it out in front of her. "So, we're traveling the same path as the Gym challenge…" She traced the path on the map, and I looked more at the tiny 'dots' outside the path, showing other towns and cities that weren't nearly as well known. "I bet it'll be winter by the time we reach Anistar City."

"That means Snowbelle will be even colder than usual." He looked to me. "It's located near the mountains, so it tends to be cold even in the summer, but if it's winter, then we can expect some heavy snows. We'll definitely need to buy winter clothes before heading there."

"Oh, shopping~" Shauna's eyes glittered. "There's a boutique in Santalune, right? Oh, it'll be great to buy some changes in clothes."

"I'm willing to bet you'll just buy the same thing again, on accident." Tierno leaned towards me to 'whisper'. "She really likes that shirt and shorts combination, and keeps accidentally buying it."

"Oh, like you can talk mister 'I have seven different pairs of black shirts and yellow shorts'!" Shauna pouted. "Fine. You're coming along on my shopping spree, mister."

"Sure, that sounds like fun." He smiled at me. "You should join us. Nothing like changing your look when you reach a new city."

"That would be so fun! What cities have the famous Boutiques again?"

"Later, Shauna. I think everyone would like to eat first, right, Yulia?"

"Ah, right," I replied, automatically. I wasn't hungry. The smoke made my stomach turn, and I prayed that no one would cook meat. I'd definitely lose the contents of my stomachs if they did. "I've got some cooking gear somewhere in the pack…"

"I've some too, don't worry," Tierno reassured. His smile warmed. "And while we cook, we can help our Pokemon feel all nice and refreshed."

"We'll… what?"

"Here, I'll show you!" Tierno pulled what looked to be a grooming kit out of his pack and calmly took Gwen into his lap. She fussed a bit, but quieted down as he brushed her. "It's important to help groom a Pokemon, especially after a battle. Just think of how scratchy you feel when you don't have a bath for a while!" He passed Gwen to me and handed me the brush. "Be careful at how much pressure you put. Too little won't get the dander, while too much hurts them."

"Uh… right…?" I glanced at Shauna, but she was busy getting the cooking gear to rescue me. "Okay."

"Good, you're a natural." Tierno grinned, clearly pleased at playing teacher. "When we're done grooming your pokemon, I'll show you how to make PokePuffs. They're little treats that Pokemon really like." His grin widened, and I couldn't find the energy to point out how little I cared. "This is going to be fun!"

"I suppose I am your student, then." I couldn't think of anything else to say. "What do I do when I'm done brushing?"

* * *

Dinner was a nice bit of soup, and it was surprisingly easy to make the PokePuffs, especially since all our Pokemon were just playing about the camp. We all went to bed soon afterwards, and both Urien and Gwen curled up with me in my lopsided tent. When morning came, we broke down camp and started back on the trail. Tierno was immediately distracted by the trees swaying in the breeze, so Shauna and I left him behind. We walked through the paths carefully, avoiding trainers when we could. Shauna still didn't want to battle, and I still didn't care. We encountered more wild Pokemon, but Gwen and Chespin were eager to chase them away.

There was one trainer we couldn't though, an arrogant little girl with a Pikachu who had camped out right by the exit. She didn't even ask for a battle, just declared we were battling and brought out her Pikachu.

"Ah, Gwen, use Ember," I called. She was slower than normal in attacking, since Pikachu could apparently paralyze Pokemon on contact. So, she was hit with a thunder attack before she could get off an Ember, but that was the one that knocked the Pikachu out. "There. Done."

"Oh, ouch…" the girl whimpered. She picked up her fallen Pikachu and smiled at me. "Thanks for the battle! I'll keep battling and training up my awesome Pikachu!"

"Have fun with that." I held out my arms for Gwen and she made the jump by first jumping to my knee and using that as a launching pad to get into my arms. "Did you have fun?" Gwen yipped and licked my cheek. "Well, I'm glad."

"Another victory for Yulia~!" Shauna cheered, dramatically throwing leaves up in the air as if they were confetti. "She's so awesome!"

"Hooray for me being able to turn one move into a victory," I deadpanned. She simply laughed in reply. "Do you have more potions? I think I ran out."

"Yep!" She pointed up ahead, and I noticed the sunlight streaming through some leaves. "I think that's the exit, so let's rest by there."

"Okay." I followed her over to the exit, and noticed the strong breeze as we sat down under some trees. "I wonder where the others are."

"Well, Tierno is definitely behind us." She passed me a couple of potions so that I could tend to Gwen's injuries. "Oh, right, you'll need a paralyze heal!" She passed me one of those too. "So, for these ones, you actually use the little brush that comes with it. See?" She pulled it out of a secret compartment in the base. "This way, you can distribute it evenly through it."

"What about things like Antidote and Awakenings?"

"You spray them in their mouths." She hummed as I tended to Gwen, looking up at the swaying leaves. They were a mess of greens, reds, oranges, and browns, but she smiled at them. "I'd love to catch a Pikachu."

"Why? Is it because it's cute?"

"Well, yes, and my littlest cousin wants one." She shrugged, looking at me. "Oh well. I'll go hunting later. I certainly don't want to go wandering the woods again! Not without restocking, at least."

"Oh, hey!" Calem's voice echoed through the trees, and both of us looked up to see Calem running for us. "So, you got here first," he noted thoughtfully. He looked rather impressed. "Seems like I'm neighbors with someone with a lot of potential." _I_ was pretty damned sure it was because Shauna and I didn't go challenging everyone and their mother in battles or wandering through tall grass, but sure, we could call it 'potential.' "Tending to your Pokemon?"

"Yes," I answered. Gwen yipped in agreement, and stretched out for a scratch. "I think she wants you to pet her."

"Really?" He grinned as he scratched Gwen behind the ears, and I couldn't help but smile slightly as she pushed her head more into his hand. "Someone is a bit spoiled when it comes to pets."

"I suppose." I shrugged, the smile falling. "Tierno was behind us. Do you know about Trevor?"

"He was behind me. I think Tierno went to get him, since Trevor was staring a lot at the trees and muttering something about honey." He shrugged. "So, it shouldn't be long before-"

"Hey, everyone!" Tierno called as he ran up with Trevor. He did a little dance move instead of stopping like a normal person. "The way Pokemon move is incredible! I want to show that spirit when I dance!"

"Tierno, could you perhaps stop thinking of dancing for one second?" Trevor sighed. He smiled shyly at the rest of us. "Hello there. I thought you all might've left me behind."

"Of course not," Calem chided. He shook his head. "That would be irresponsible. How did you sleep? Did you get your tent up?"

"Y-yeah, I did. Barely."

"Oh, enough of this!" Shauna said, waving her arms to get everyone's attention as she hopped to her feet. "Let's get out of the woods and get to Santalune City!" The other three cheered in agreement, and walked ahead. As I stood up, I debated digging my heels and heading back, but Tierno caught my hand and tugged me forward with them.

Was it a Kalosi thing to just drag strangers along for adventures they didn't want? This was just so damn tiring.

* * *

 _Notes on Urien:_

 _A male Fletchling with an Adamant nature. I still don't know why that might be important._

 _Normal/Flying dual typed. From what I've seen, they're the basic 'bird' Pokemon common to many regions._

 _Likes to cuddle. He curled up on my pillow, right above Gwen, while I slept and woke me up with the sun._

* * *

Author's Note: So, one failing of the Kalos games is that… well… you learn very little about your four traveling companions. I'll be adding little bits to try and flesh them out a bit more. Shauna's family isn't mentioned at all in the games, iirc, while Calem's are just 'skilled trainers Sycamore happens to know'. Also, it's rather ambiguous just how long the routes are supposed to be. The games have you passing through incredibly quickly, while the anime will often stretch out route travel by days or even weeks. I'll… be keeping it ambiguous for pacing purposes, but I will be adding camping scenes for some routes. The grooming here is based more off Pokemon Refresh in Sun and Moon than on Pokemon Amie. (Later chapters will have some more battles shown; Yulia just doesn't care atm.)

Next Chapter - Santalune City


	3. Chapter 3) Fantastic

Chapter 3) Fantastic

* * *

 _Well, I'm on my Pokemon journey. It's not exactly my choice, but I really couldn't think of a way to refuse politely. I'd tried to turn back, but the others stuck to me like burrs, digging into my skin with smiles and kindness that I did not want. Now, we're through the forest, meaning that if I did want to return, I'd have to hike through all of it._

 _I wondered if there was a taxi or something I could take in Santalune City. Surely there was a way back that was safe. Alternatively, I could buy a lot of repels. Now that was a thought to consider. I wondered if the others would leave me alone long enough to do that._

* * *

Ouvert Way, otherwise known as Kalosi Route 3, was a rather short route, more of a lead up trail to the forest than anything. Tiny school children and tinier preschoolers raced about happily with their Pokemon. Sometimes battling together, but then forgetting what they were doing halfway through as something else caught their eye.

As we all walked through, I observed the dynamic between the other four 'friends' and came to one conclusion: Calem was _definitely_ the 'mom friend'.

"Tierno, watch your feet!" Calem chided, dragging him away from the shoreline of the nearby pond. Tierno had been so enthralled with some Pokemon that he nearly fell in. "Shauna, don't eat that. You don't even know what it is." Shauna stuck her tongue out and skipped away from the fruit tree she'd been trying to snag a meal from. "And… where is Trevor?"

"Trevor jumped into the tall grass over there," I answered as Shauna and Tierno shrugged. I pointed to the patch for emphasis. "He was promptly swallowed up."

"Oh. Great." Calem groaned and pushed Tierno to me. "Tierno, stay with Yulia, please." He wandered into the tall grass, sending out Froakie to deal with the wild Pokemon. "Trevor, what the hell?" He snagged Trevor by the collar and dragged him out. "Why did you even head in?"

"I caught a Pikachu!" Trevor happily declared. He pulled out his Pokedex and showed off the page. "See!"

"Wow, lucky~!" Shauna cheered, clapping. "I wanted to catch one!"

"There were two or three in the grass there."

"Really?!"

"No one is jumping into the grass," Calem declared firmly. Shauna simply groaned in reply. "Especially you, Trevor. I couldn't see you at all." He paused suddenly and looked around. "Where did Tierno go?" A very loud yelp made him close his eyes. "I'm going to turn around and find him falling down the staircase or something, aren't I?"

"Not quite," I answered, pointing again. Tierno looked a little dazed, but unharmed. "He _is_ by the staircase, but that's more because someone in roller blades almost ran him over. I wouldn't call it his fault."

"That's a first." He sighed. "Seriously, guys…"

"Are you planning on having Froakie fight on his own?" I nodded to where Froakie was fighting… some sort of Pokemon. "He is."

"..." He sighed again, and recalled Froakie to his Pokeball as Shauna burst into laughter. "Can we not have two minutes of peace? Just two minutes?"

"Probably not." I caught a flash of red hair disappearing into the grass. "I think Trevor is back in the tall grass."

"Damn it, Trevor!" Calem dove back into the grass again, because Trevor apparently _really_ wanted to fill that Pokedex.

"Isn't this the best?" Shauna laughed, sliding to my side. "This is going to be a great memory!"

"If you say so," I mumbled, shaking my head. They just seemed like a mess. "Should we help him?"

"Oh, Calem doesn't need the help." She snagged my arm and tugged me down the path. "Come on! Santalune City awaits!"

No amount of dragging my heels stopped her enthusiasm, sadly, and we soon left the others behind for a city I didn't care about. Hooray.

* * *

The first thing we did upon actually entering the city was visit the Pokemon Center. The second thing was clothes shopping, and this was where the boys met us.

"Oh, perfect timing, Tierno," Shauna called, completely nonchalant as she turned and held up a shirt. "What do you think? Does this look good on me?"

"Shauna, that's literally a pallette swap of the shirt you're _already_ wearing," Tierno teased. He moved to a nearby rack and pulled out a different shirt. "Here, try this one?"

"Ugh, I _hate_ how yellow looks on me!" She sulked and he grinned. "Meanie! You knew that!"

"Are they always so loud?" I sighed, trying on different hats. I'd already bought a t-shirt and jeans combination, one that matched my jacket, and was going to buy a new hat too. I hadn't planned on buying anything, but Shauna had insisted. "The patrons are going to be mad."

"We'll pretend to not know them if that happens," Trevor noted lightly. He passed me a white cycling cap. "I think this will look best on you out of the selection."

"You think so?" I tried it on, and had to admit that he was right. I did like it best. "All right then." I selected a pink flower pin to accessorize the hat and smiled slightly. I did like the look. "I'll go buy this, then."

"There's a cafe nearby that we can wait for the others at." Trevor smiled shyly. "I'll get Calem and meet you there. We can leave Shauna and Tierno to get thrown out."

"Try to calm them, first. The employees don't deserve it." I left him to it, and paid for my purchases. The lady at the register was kind enough to just let me wear my new stuff out of the store, so I did, packing my old clothes up tightly in my bag and just selling my old hat for convenience.

Once that was all done, I slipped out, ignoring Shauna and Tierno spiritedly debating the difference between blood-orange and red. It took me a moment to find the cafe Trevor mentioned, but once there, I easily found Calem sitting at a table. However, he had more than drinks and pastries on the table. For some reason, he also had clip-on roller skates.

"Oh, Yulia!" Calem called, waving me over. "Apparently, the girl who nearly ran over Tierno felt bad about it, and gave us some free roller blades to make up for it."

"That's… convenient," I murmured, eyeing them warily. I'd never had good balance, so these things just seemed like rolling death traps. "All five of us?"

"Yep." He casually snapped them on his shoes and stood up, pivoting easily. "These are nice ones, though. Adjustable for everyone's sizes."

"I see." I sat down, and tried to edge them away from me. "Where's Trevor?"

"He's ordering some more drinks. We're guessing Shauna and Tierno will be by before long." Calem smiled slightly. "We ordered you a chai. Should we not have?"

"Chai is fine."

"Good." His smile turned into a grin. "Come on. Let's skate a bit."

"I don't know how."

"Then let's teach you." He snagged a pair of the roller blades and attached them to my shoes before I could protest. "Up we go." He took my hands and pulled me up. "So first thing is finding your balance."

"What balance?" I was already wobbling. "I'm going to fall."

"I'm right here."

"That's not reassuring." I thought I caught some flash of hurt flicking across his face, but I was far too busy trying to not fall to really pay attention. "I'm going to fall."

"You'll be fine. Bend your knees slightly."

"Isn't that just going to make me fall faster?!"

"No, it'll keep you stable." He tugged me forward a little, and I wobbled even more. The other patrons of the cafe looked at us indulgently, like we were two kids on a date, not two strangers with one bent on torturing the other. "Bent knees."

I did end up falling, but he caught me before I could crash on my face. I felt vindicated at that.

* * *

Calem actually managed to teach me how to skate, shakily, by the time Trevor joined us with Shauna and Tierno. Of course, he promptly left to go challenge the gym instead of sticking around, and Tierno promptly started showing off some of his skating moves, including some backflips that just made my head spin. Shauna did some swivels and tried to teach me, but I had my hands full with just trying to stand up, much less skate straight. Trevor, of course, was eager to learn just about anything.

I watched them for a while before removing the blades from my shoes and leaving. I wandered the town for a bit, and tried to just leave, but there was some weird lady who insisted that I tried to win the gym badge here. I was rapidly becoming convinced that everyone is Kalos was a busybody who tried to force people into their way of life whether they liked it or not. Some part of me was tempted to tell her exactly where to shove her insistence, but I was just too tired to deal with her. So, I made my way into the gym, which apparently doubled as a photography museum, and at the prompting of some workers, slid down this strange pole in the corner to the 'gym proper'. At which point, I decided that Gym Leaders clearly had way too much time and money on their hands if the leader here had renovated the whole thing to be a mess of too large plants and pencil thin paths that looked like a Galvantula web. This whole set up really, _really_ bugged me.

However, I was clearly rather stuck, so I made my way through, bringing out Urien to help me try to keep my balance as I wobbled and swayed. I wasn't sure _how_ he could help, of course, but his presence reassured me, and I let Gwen loose as well, to battle the trainers that insisted on ambushing and battling _on_ these far too thin paths.

I couldn't help but wonder just what this gym did for trainer who couldn't balance precariously.

For instance, did the leader just refuse to let people in wheelchairs compete? What about those missing a leg or those with acrophobia? It just seemed wrong to force trainers through a stupid gauntlet like this. What happened if you lost? What happened if you fell off in the middle of a battle, like I almost did a few times.

It was such a relief to make it to the end that I almost started crying. I only didn't because of a camera flash.

"That determined expression… that glint in your eyes that says you're up for the challenge…" A woman was on the platform in front of me, grinning at me from behind a camera. "It's fantastic! Just fantastic!" she gushed, snapping another picture. I just tried to figure out where she got 'determined' and 'up for the challenge' from 'ready to cry' and 'I am seriously debating killing you'. "I'm Viola, the gym leader here! It's fantastic to meet you!" She really liked the word 'fantastic'.

"Yulia," I mumbled. I gestured for Urien to rest on my shoulder and sent Gwen in front of me. "I'm… here to challenge you."

"First time challenging a gym? Let me get that team." She ducked to the side briefly and I noticed she had a few boxes set up. I wondered if she had specific teams she used, depending on how many badges her challenger had. Then I wondered how she got around the 'six Pokemon at a time' rule. "Fantastic!" She returned to where she was, and then took a noticeable step back. "Whether it's the tears of frustration following a loss, or the blossoming joy that follows a victory, they're both fantastic subjects for my camera!"

"It seems rather mean to take a picture of someone crying when they lose." I was clearly facing off against a cheerful asshole. "Whatever. Let's go."

"Yes, let's!" She snapped another picture of me. "This will be just fantastic!" She _really_ liked that word. "I won't let anything ruin _this_ shot!" She threw a Pokeball, releasing a strange blue Pokemon. "Hope you're ready!"

"I suppose I should be glad you're not throwing out bug puns…" I pulled out my Pokedex as Gwen leapt forward and yipped, determined to battle. "So, this is a Surskit?" I vaguely knew the Pokemon, but this was my first time seeing one. "Well, Gwen, let's hit it with an Ember." Gwen yipped again and launched an Ember. To my surprise, though, it… didn't seem any different from a normal attack, despite Bug-type Pokemon being weak to Fire.

"Never fails to throw off opponents from a perfect shot!" Viola grinned, clearly delighted. "Surskit, you know the shoot! Water Sport!" Her Surskit shot out a _bunch_ of water, dousing both it and Gwen, and generating actual puddles. My Pokedex beeped and told me that the power of Fire moves would be weakened.

So, this was how she caught those thought they'd just fire their way through. Surski must be a Bug/Water Dual-Type. But Bug Pokemon were not _only_ weak to Fire. It was just one of their more known ones.

"Gwen, come back to me," I called. Gwen obeyed reluctantly, brushing against my legs. "Urien, you're up." Urien tweeted and flew forward. "Go at it with a Peck."

"Surskit, hit it with a Quick Attack!" Viola ordered. She grinned as Surskit landed the hit. "Go for it again!"

"Urien!" Worriedly, I debated calling him back, but Urien took the hit easily, and snagged Surskit with his talons to hold it in place for a Peck. "Looks like that hit well, so one more time!"

"Surskit, go for another Quick Attack!"

"Urien, up in the air!" I smiled slightly as Urien took to the air, easily avoiding Surskit's attack. "Now!" Urien spun and swooped down, Tackling Surskit and sending it skidding across the drying floor. "Once more! Peck!" This time, Urien got the attack off before Surskit could react, and it went down, collapsing.

"You did well, Surskit." Viola recalled her Surskit. "All right. Time for the next roll~" She threw the Pokeball, and revealed a Pokemon that reminded me of a Butterfree, or a Beautify. "Vivillon! Infestation!"

"What?" I could only stare, not only at the weird Pokemond I didn't know, and the strange attack. "Urien, how about you…" I grit my teeth and checked the Pokedex. Whatever this move was, according to the 'Dex, it bothered Urien to the point that he just could _not_ retreat. But that was fine, because according to the Pokedex, Water Sport was going to fade away soon. If I had Urien wait it out, then Gwen could finish this. "Hit it with another Peck!"

"Vivillon, Tackle and then Harden up!" Viola's Vivillon braced through the Peck, and then knocked Urien down to the ground. "Tackle again!"

"Urien, wait and _then_ dodge." I held my breath as Urien did as I said, and nearly cheered when Urien managed to time it so that Vivillon crashed to the ground instead of Tackling him. "All right, another Peck!" I grit my teeth as I noticed just how little damage Vivillon was sustaining. Harden boosted a Pokemon's ability to resist physical damage, and Urien was tiring. "Damn it…" I glanced at the Pokedex, and noticed it saying something about the 'Infestation clearing'. "Urien, back to me!" Urien obeyed instantly, landing on my shoulder. "Go, Gwen!"

"Sending back your Fennekin? Why would you…?" Viola's eyes widened. "Oh, wait, Water Sport's…!"

"Gwen, hit it with an Ember!" Without Water Sport to dampen Fire's strength, Gwen could attack with her full strength. Ember ran off a Pokemon's Special Defense, meaning Harden didn't cut its attack, and Gwen was just _strong_ when it came to Special Attacks.

"Vivillon, dodge it and hit it with a Tackle!" She laughed as Vivillon managed to do that, to Gwen's visible frustration. "All right! Now, go with-!"

"Gwen, go with a Flame Charge to knock it down, and then Ember!" Gwen yipped and went right to it, surrounding herself in fire before tackling Vivillon to the ground. Flame Charge was a physical attack, so it wasn't enough to take down Vivillon, but the following Ember certainly was, especially given Urien's earlier assault.

Vivillon weakly tried to get up, and I tried not to wince as I noticed the small bits of smoke and other burns on it. My hands automatically went to my arms, and I swore the scars there throbbed in sympathetic pain.

But Viola recalled Vivillon before I could really start panicking, and then Gwen was surrounded by a glowing white light, _really_ knocking me out of my panic. I stared as Gwen slowly 'grew', her form changing and elongating. When the light cleared, I realized just what had happened. My Pokedex confirmed my suspicion, proudly declaring that Gwen had evolved into a 'Braixen'.

I was startled, since I thought it was too early for her to evolve, especially when she hadn't done much this battle, but then realized it likely wasn't. I only had two Pokemon and out of those two, Gwen was the one who liked battling the most. So, she was the one who got the most experience, and most Pokemon evolved from gaining experience. Defeating Vivillon, even if she hadn't done the brunt of the work, likely had been enough to tip her over the edge.

Gwen certainly seemed enthused. She hopped over and gave me a little hug before fluffing at her fur, and crossing her arms almost smugly. I hesitantly scratched her behind the ears, just as I did before, and she instantly leaned into the action, clearly pleased.

Viola's laugh reminded me that I wasn't alone with my Pokemon. "Well, that's a loss!" she declared, still laughing. "You and your Pokemon showed me a new depth of field!" She beamed. "Fantastic! Just fantastic!" She _really, really_ liked that word. "I hereby bestow upon you the Bug Badge!" She handed me a piece of metal with all the bombastic ceremony of one of Mom's trophies. "And here's also a TM!" She also passed me a metal disc. "That Technical Machine has Infestation!"

"Thank you." I tucked both into my pack, making sure to use separate pockets. "Um…"

"Ah, that was so much fun~" She laughed a bit and brought up her camera once more. "Mind if I take a few more shots of you and your Pokemon? They were so fantastic."

"Yeah, sure." If I could get her to _stop saying that word_ , I'd agree to anything. "That's fine!"

"Fantastic!" She grinned. "Well, just zoom in behind me, and we'll set up for a quick shoot, okay? I'll give you an Experience Share in thanks."

"Sure." I bit back a sigh. At least someone was having fun. "Gwen, Urien?" I looked to them, and both of them beamed. "Well, let's follow her, then."

It wasn't like I had any idea of what to do now. I'd only done _this_ because no one would even let me leave town until I did.

* * *

 _Notes of Gwen:_

 _Evolved into Braixen. Still is a Fire Type, still has a Modest nature._

 _Has the ability Blaze, which I didn't pay attention to before. It boosts fire moves when she's at low health._

 _She's become a little more… prickly, but she still loves cuddling with me. Though, it took her a few seconds to realize she was too big to jump into my arms now._

* * *

Author's Notes: First badge get! Gwen has evolved, experience share get. Roller blades get. Some character interactions. Shopping. In game, Viola's sister, Alexa, blocks you from leaving town until you beat the gym, and also rewards you with the Experience Share. I switched it to Viola giving it to cut down on extraneous characters.

Next Chapter - Lumiose City


	4. Chapter 4) Je Ne Sais Quoi

Chapter 4) Je Ne Sais Quoi

* * *

 _So, I have a gym badge now. Most people would be happy about it, but I was more or less tricked and forced into it, so I can't say I'm too enthused. I also have roller blades, which I am convinced will kill me._

 _Now, though, the others are dragging me to Lumiose City, the central hub of Kalos, where we're going to officially meet Professor Sycamore. I'm tempted to tell him exactly where he could've shoved his 'request'._

* * *

There was something distinctly humiliating that Trevor, of all people in the group, had to help me set up my tent. I wasn't sure what, exactly, since it wasn't right to judge a person by how they looked, but it was also _Trevor_ , who barely looked strong enough to pick up a support for it.

Sighing, I returned to tending to Gwen's fur, eyeing the others warily as they laughed around the campfire. After a few days on Parterre Way, we were finally getting close to Lumiose City, being a day out at most, and now, those three were sitting around the fire while I sat apart and groomed my Pokemon. Calem wasn't with them. After setting up camp and eating the admittedly delicious food Tierno and Shauna whipped up, he had gone off to train before we all went to bed, and had asked me, of all people, to make sure no one died. Now, granted, I was fairly certain it was because Tierno and Trevor were easily distracted, and Shauna was likely to just record their antics for the 'memories', but it did make me feel uncomfortable. I didn't know what to make of them. I couldn't really say I hated them, though I did hate how pushy they were, but I also couldn't say I liked them. They were just… there. That's all.

Tweeting caught my attention and I smiled as Urien flitted to my shoulder and rubbed his head against my cheek. I thought he might be a little bigger, and I wondered if that was a sign that he might evolve soon. While Gwen had handled the Pyroar's share of the battles, the Experience Share meant that Urien was growing stronger too. According to the Pokedex, he'd even learned a few new moves, somehow. I wasn't really sure how this 'Experience Share' thing actually _worked_ , but somehow, but having it on, I could send out one Pokemon, and the rest would also 'gain experience'. It sounded like something from a videogame instead of reality, but then again, we also had the PC system. Technology was weird.

"What are you guys doing awake?" The laughter around the fire ended with sharp squeaks and yelps, and I looked up to see Calem had returned. "Don't you all know how late it is?" he scolded, eyes narrowed. If he'd put his hands on his hips, he'd look like the stereotypical scolding mother. "Get to bed!"

"Oh, come on! We're sixteen, not six!" Shauna protested. She jumped to her feet to pout up at him. "We don't have bedtimes anymore. So, come on and have some fun!"

"We're in the middle of telling scary stories," Tierno added as Shauna dragged Calem down to sit beside her. "We're trying to scare Yulia at this point, though. She hasn't even twitched at any of the stories." That was because I wasn't paying attention. Gwen required a lot of brushing, and it wasn't like I cared.

"Join in, Calem! Surely you know a scary one!"

"M-must we?" Trevor whimpered. He was shivering slightly, and clinging to his Flabebe and Pikachu like security blankets. "Th-that last one was a little… well…"

"Stories are just stories," Calem sighed. He looked so exasperated. "Which one did she even tell?"

"Knock, Knock."

"Oh, that one. Shauna, you know that one freaks him out."

"Trevor already told you that we were trying to scare Yulia!" Shauna defended. She sulked. "But she didn't even react to the part where the killer jumps from the rustling grass."

"Of course not," Calem retorted. He was _definitely_ exasperated now. "Because no one actually jumps from rustling grass, much less-!"

As if life was laughing at us, the nearby bits of tall grass and flowers actually started rustling. Trevor shrieked and jumped into Shauna's lap. Shauna screamed and clung to Calem. Tierno decided to take the slightly more sensible approach of running away, except he tripped over his bag and face planted. Calem had stiffened, but otherwise, remained stoic. Granted, that was likely because he was too busy wincing from all the yelling.

"Guys, it's probably just a Pokemon," I pointed out once the echoes died down. We weren't far from the hedge mazes that seemed _really_ popular for wild Pokemon to play in, after all. "And you likely just chased them away by being loud."

"That's it. Yulia has nerves of adamantine," Shauna groaned. She slowly let go of Calem, but made no move to push off the trembling Trevor. Instead, she hugged him as he shivered. "S-so, someone should check, right?"

"I think we should be more concerned with checking that we have Repel sprayed around our camp. It might've worn off."

"But…" She shrieked as the grass rustled again. "It didn't go away!"

"Oh, fine," Calem sighed. He pushed himself to his feet, and helped Tierno up before walking over to the grass. "Let's see just what… WAH!" He yelped as a white thing popped out of the grass, and fell flat on his ass as it skirted the edges of the grass. The green 'hair' and red horn accompanying the white proved it could really be only one sort of Pokemon. "A Ralts?"

"Really?!" Trevor gasped, scrambling away from Shauna. He went from terrified to curious in .02 seconds there. "Wow, Ralts normally avoid humans…"

"Well, this one didn't." Calem pushed himself up with a groan. "Not what I wanted to do tonight."

"What? Be ambushed by a Pokemon?"

"Falling, but that one too."

As the others slowly relaxed and reassured themselves that their 'killer' was simply a quiet Ralts, the Ralts looked around, peering at us curiously. Shauna cooed at the sight, while Trevor looked absolutely fascinated. Calem definitely seemed annoyed, while Tierno just appeared relieved. I, however, ignored them all to continue brushing Gwen's fur, focusing on getting all the tangles out. There didn't seem to be a point in fussing.

However, something hit my leg, and I squeaked, jerking my head down to find… to find the Ralts had toddled over to _me_ , peering at me curiously. As I stared, they smiled and climbed into my lap, curling up in a very clear message. 'You are mine now.'

"Aren't you lot supposed to be attracted by happy feelings?" I muttered, trying to figure out why they went to me and not, say, Shauna. "What a strange one you are." Sighing, I fetched a cloth from my pack and started wiping the dirt of their face.

"You should catch it!" Shauna insisted suddenly. I nearly fell over when I realized she was right next to me. "Clearly, it wants you to!" Shauna squealed when Ralts nodded. "Go on! Go on!"

"I… er…" I sighed. I already knew I lost. "Oh, fine." I fetched a Pokeball from my bag and held it over Ralts. "You sure you want to come along with me, and not one of the others?" The Ralts tilted their head back and looked at me closely before nodding. "All right then…" One capture later, and I had a Ralts.

I had a distinct feeling that Pokemon catching wasn't 'supposed' to involve the Pokemon literally walking up and asking, but everything about this trip was weird. Maybe this was just how Kalosi Pokemon were, though. Certainly, no one else thought there was anything odd about it.

* * *

The next morning, everyone scattered to do their own thing. I spent some time battling and learning about Belle and how she liked fighting. Ralts were notoriously difficult to train, so I was glad for the Experience Share to help both of us out. From there, I decided to just go ahead and hit the city. Unfortunately, though, the path was blocked by two people, a boy and a girl, in white uniforms. I tried to just walk away, but they caught sight of me near instantly.

"Hello there!" the boy called with a grin. I tried not to flinch at just how arrogant he sounded. I had a feeling he wasn't even trying to sound like that. It was just his natural tone. "Have you heard of a Pokemon called Flabebe?" Then again, maybe he was. There was literally twenty Flabebe just three steps away in a flower patch. "Do you?"

"Yes, I do," I replied slowly. My eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"

"Oh, just curious. It's just what I'd expect from one of the professor's handpicked trainers!" Oh, yes, he was an arrogant asshole.

"Flabebe is, brace yourself, a Fairy Pokemon!" the girl cheerfully added. She preened a little before continuing. "Fairy Types were discovered recently! They turn the whole type match up on its head!"

"Yes, I already know this," I deadpanned. "The type was officially discovered and classified a few years ago by Sinnoh Champion Penelope, during her Championship Battle with Champion Cynthia." I personally wondered why it had taken so long, but the Fairy Type's signature was immunity to Dragon Type attacks, and not too many people would throw anything but an Ice, Water, or Dragon Type Pokemon at one of those. "Any reason you're telling me things I already know?"

"Boo, you're no fun." She rolled her eyes but smiled. "We're trying to make conversation, silly, but whatever. I'm Sina! A beautiful name for a beautiful lady." Oh, splendid, she was both arrogant _and_ vain.

"I'm Dexio," the boy introduced, bowing slightly. I simply tried to wrap my head around how their names were conveniently related to 'right' and 'left'. "Two years ago, Professor Sycamore entrusted us with the Pokedex. You can think of us as your predecessors."

"But enough of that!" Sina declared, snagging my arm. "Come on. It's time to head to the lab!"

"Yes, it is!" Dexio snagged my other arm. "This way!" And off the two dragged me, paying no mind to my protests as we went through the travel gate and into Lumiose City. I didn't even have time to pretend to gawk at the place as the two continued tugging me after them, easily navigating the winding streets until we were at a place that proudly proclaimed itself as 'Sycamore's Lab'.

From there, they had me in the elevator, up some floors, and promptly delivered me to an older gentleman I assumed was Professor Sycamore before leaving us in his office. I felt like a package.

"Fantastic! You're here!" Professor Sycamore cheered, standing up from his desk. I tried to not glower at the word 'fantastic'. I'd heard far too much of it from Viola. "Come here, come here!" He gestured for me to come closer, and I did so reluctantly. I had a lot of angry words for him, but I also just felt too tired to deal with that anger. "Many thanks for coming here, Miss Gladiola! It's a pleasure to finally meet you! I've heard a great deal about you."

"It's nice to meet you too, sir," I replied neutrally. I really didn't want to deal with this.

"How's your Pokedex coming along? How's your journey been?" He acted like he had twelve cups of coffee. Then again, he was a researcher. He'd probably had twenty, and hadn't slept for three days. "Ah, Grace was right. You do have a sort of je ne sais quoi!"

"...I'm something you do not know?"

"A quality that cannot be described is a much better translation of the phase. Reminds me of Cyril, actually." His cheer disappeared then, as if it were a cloak that he just threw off. "I'm sorry about your father." His voice was soft, and the sympathy in it was genuine enough to almost make me tear up. "Cyril was a good man. The world is a little less bright with him gone."

"Thank you." My voice cracked, and I ducked my head. "That does sort of lead in to what I want to know. Why did you choose _me_ to help out?"

"Truthfully, I'd originally was going to ask only Calem. I know his parents. But then I thought he might get lonely or bored. He's a much more sensitive boy than he'd ever let on, so then I thought of his friend. And _then_ … Well, I heard Grace was moving you two here, and I thought it would be delightful if you helped out!" He smiled, and I noticed it was nowhere near as bright as his previous smiles. "Besides, there was a bit of a conspiracy. The original plan was that when you visited Kalos this coming up summer, Cyril would bring you here and we'd talk about you being an intern with me, since my research ties heavily into the Kalosi mythos."

"...Mom didn't mention that."

"Well, Grace might've forgot, or she might've thought _I_ forgot. We were finalizing the plans when the fire happened." His smile softened slightly. "But I'm cursed with a very good memory. Besides, what better way to explore your new region?"

"I had planned on exploring it via the internet."

"Well, that won't do. There's lots to explore!" His smile faded again, this time almost as if it pained him to keep up. This was a man who did his best to hide what he was thinking and feeling, at all times. "I know I'm being a busybody, Yulia, and I do apologize for it. But whether you believe it or not, you can, and will, heal from this. It might end up as a scar, but it'll heal. I believe that it will have less of a chance of consuming you if you were out and about, and I think Grace agrees with me."

"Now why do you think that?"

"Because Grace would cheerfully tell me exactly where to shove my well-intentioned pushiness if she didn't." ...He had a point there. "So, I doubt you trust me, and I doubt you really trust your companions, but you can trust Grace, right?"

"...I suppose." I sighed. "I just wanted to curl up and live my life under a blanket."

"And lose that clever mind that Cyril couldn't wait to see put to research? Perish the thought!" He was back to smiles. But I was certain it was only an act, now. "Now, I expected the others to be here by now, but since they're not, how about a Pokemon Battle?"

"You… want to battle… _in_ your own lab?" I looked around and noticed all the very expensive equipment. "Is that really wise?"

"Oh, they're tougher than they look. I reinforced them when Kukui visited."

"Who?"

"Pokemon Professor from Alola, bit younger than me, specializing in the study of Pokemon moves. Which includes letting himself be hit and launched by them. I still have a crack in my ceiling from it." He pointed for emphasis, and my eyes widened at just how _large_ of a crack it was.

"So, how is he not dead?"

"A question that eludes us all, but the point is, my lab will be perfectly fine." He grinned and stepped back, pulling a Pokeball from his pocket. "Though, just so you know! I'm not that tough!"

"Who says anything like that?" I almost sighed, but then he sent out a Bulbasaur. "A Kanto starter?!" While you did have a lot of Kantonese Pokemon in Kalos, you didn't normally see the starters. "Okay, um…" Based on what I remembered, Bulbasaur was a Grass/Poison dual-type. That meant… "Belle, let's see how you do!' I tossed Belle's Pokeball, and pointed when she landed on the ground and looked at me curiously. "We're battling. Use Confusion."

"Bulbasaur, set up with a Leech Seed!" His Bulbasaur launched the Leech Seed, with it landing right on Belle's head and sprouting to wrap around her horn. "Nailed it!"

"You're still going to get hit with Confusion." Belle proved my point rather neatly, and Bulbasaur cried out in pain as the psychic attack hit. Poison Types were weak to Psychic. "See?"

"Leech Seed will heal some of that damage." He gestured dramatically. "So, Vine Whip!"

"Belle, Teleport and then use Confusion again." Belle did exactly that, Teleporting behind and taking advantage of the surprise to get a second hit in. "Confusion one more time!"

"Bulbasaur, try another Vine Whip!" His Bulbasaur tried, but he stared around in a daze before actually tackling the wall. "Ah, Confusion caused him to be confused."

"Which leaves him wide open." Belle proved my point and used Confusion for a third time. Combined with the damage Bulbasaur inflicted on himself thanks to confusion, that was enough to knock him out, Leech Seed healing or not. "Perfect. Belle, come on back until that seed falls off."

"You do not recall your Pokemon to their Pokeballs?" Sycamore recalled Bulbasaur into his for emphasis, while Belle skipped over to hug my leg. "Most interesting!" He pulled another Pokeball from his pocket. "Go, Squirtle!"

"Are you fighting me with all the Kanto starters?" If that was the case, then… "Urien, let's go!" I threw his Pokeball, and Urien popped out with a little trill. He already knew what we were doing. "Okay, Urien, we're going to try something a little different, okay?" Urien tweeted and nodded. "Thanks."

"Well, while you're strategizing… Squirtle, Water Gun!" His Squirtle launched his attack, and Urien was actually blasted _back_! "You spent too long talking. My Squirtle took the time to aim for a critical hit."

"Yeah, well, thanks for helping. Urien?" Urien flew over, dripping wet. "Flail."

"...Uh oh." He winced as Urien Flailed at Squirtle, and managed to get a damn good hit in. "I shouldn't have rejoiced at all the damage."

"Nope, since that let me use a maximum powered Flail." I smiled slightly as I glanced at the Pokedex. "Urien, Quick Attack!" Urien obeyed, shedding water as he flew at blurring speeds. He struck Squirtle right in the face, and knocked him back. "I believe _that_ is a critical hit."

"And now I am down to my last Pokemon!" He sighed, shaking his head as he recalled Squirtle. "Well, my last one is-!"

"Charmander, right? Urien, come back." I held out my arm so that Urien could land on my wrist and used my free hand to pull out Gwen's Pokeball. "Here we go!"

"You're spoiling my dramatics." He actually pouted as he threw his last Pokeball, revealing a Charmander. "And your choice is…?" He also actually cheered when I threw Gwen's Pokeball, and she appeared on the field. "Oh, that's the Pokemon you got from me!"

"I suppose." I shrugged, moving Urien to my shoulder. Belle was still on my leg, watching everything curiously. "Gwen, use Psybeam."

"Charmander, Smokescreen!" His Charmander took a brutal hit from Gwen's Psybeam, but managed to hold on enough to breath out a smokescreen, obscuring the area. "All right! Now-!"

"I know Smokescreen is supposed to lower accuracy, but your Charmander has a flame on his tail." Gwen looked distinctly unamused by all the smoke. "Gwen, might take a few tries, but Psybeam him again. Just aim for the flame."

"Charmander, Scratch her!"

"Actually, Gwen, if you can stand it, take the hit, and _then_ attack, because I doubt he went behind." I was quickly proven right as Charmander actually popped out of the smoke _in front_ of Gwen. She was hit, across the eyes at that, but at that range, it was pretty hard to miss. So, her Psybeam sent Charmander flying, knocked out. "I guess I win."

"It seems so! You're simply too much!" Sycamore laughed, though, as he recalled his Charmander. "Let me get a window…" He walked over to the window and opened it to help the smoke clear out faster. I spent that time petting and praising my Pokemon before sending them back into their Pokeballs and returning them to my pack. "There we are!"

"Will no one be concerned by the smoke?"

"I have a very advanced alarm system. The smoke from a Pokemon's smokescreen is different from the smoke from a fire, and it differentiates." He nodded in satisfaction as the last of the smoke cleared out. "I've also got fans to push it out." I had the distinct feeling he battled in here a lot. "Still, you're quite the trainer, aren't you?" He grinned. "Well, as thanks for indulging me, how about you take a Pokemon?" He went to a small box on his desk and opened it up to reveal three Pokeballs. "One of the Kanto starters."

"You're the leading Professor of Kalos. Why do you have _Kanto_ starters?"

"Oh, I asked Professor Oak to give me some for my research." He grinned. "So?"

"Uh… okay?" I walked over and peered at the Pokeballs, as if they would just magically pick one for me. "I guess… a Squirtle?" If I was going to be battling frequently, I'd need a better counter for Fire Pokemon. I'd need one for Water as well, but I didn't feel like training a Bulbasaur.

"Squirtle it is!" He plucked the Pokeball from the box and present it to me as if he were giving me a medal. "I hope you have fun with him." His grin widened as I tucked the Pokeball into my bag. "And _there_ are the wayward ones!" He waved at something behind me, and I turned to see that the others _had_ arrived at last. It was about time!

"Sorry, we got distracted, Professor," Trevor mumbled. Based on how Tierno, Calem, and Shauna all clustered around him, I got the feeling he'd been sacrificed to make the apology. "Um…"

"Well, everyone is here now, so that's all that matters," Professor Sycamore replied. He went back to his friendly smile, and I awkwardly stepped towards the others, Tierno instantly making a place for me, right in the middle. "And _now_ that you're all here, let's get down to business about what I need from you."

"It's not just the Pokedex?"

"No, and honestly, if you feel as if filling the Pokedex prevents you from being the best trainer you can be, or keeps you from having fun, feel free to ignore that. But not this." He was comically stern for a brief second before smiling again. "You see; Dexio and Sina are assisting with determining the strengths and weaknesses of Fairy Types, which means they can't help me with my primary research: Mega Evolution."

"Mega Evolution?" Shauna repeated. She looked confused, and pouted slightly as she stepped out from behind Trevor. "What even is that?"

"A special type of Evolution that occurs only in battle!"

"Wait, really?!"

"Really." He rattled off a few more things, mostly in response to the others, but I tuned them out, feeling strangely… drained. I just wanted to go to bed and sleep for days upon days.

However, a tug on my arm told me that wasn't going to be the case. Sina and Dexio had returned and were dragging me, and the others, off for something. It took me a few seconds to realize we were getting a tour of the facility.

I tried not to groan. I just wanted to be left alone right now.

* * *

Sina could give a Pinsir tips in how to use a Vice Grip. It took me over an hour to escape her clutches, and it took me another hour to slip away from the group entirely and head down to the first floor. Unfortunately, though, I couldn't just make my escape. Somewhere was blocking the only path to the door, a taller man wearing a suit and a hairstyle that resembled a Pyroar's mane. It took me a second to realize I knew him: Lysandre, the person from the news story. I never expected to see him, much less talking with the receptionist at the front desk.

"Ah, so he's with his new students," he murmured. He smiled softly, with just a hint of charm. "I do not suppose I could meet them?"

"W-well, the professor mentioned not wanting to be disturbed," the receptionist demurred. She blushed prettily and ducked her head. "Of course, I'm certain he would love for you to meet them, but I do not know what floor any of them are on. I could try to page, but he never answers and…" She glanced to the side and gasped. "Oh, you..." She waved for me to come closer, and it was easy to see she was hiding her disappointment. I was willing to bet she'd been hoping to show him around herself. "Lysandre, here is one of the new students."

"A pleasure to meet you, miss," Lysandre replied. He bowed slightly, the picture of politeness. "To receive a Pokedex… you certainly must be one of the chosen ones."

"I suppose," I replied, trying to not point out the odd phrase. Technically speaking, I was 'chosen' by Professor Sycamore, and I remembered Calem say something about him having difficulties expressing himself verbally. "I can only hope to be worthy of the honor." Lying through my teeth seemed to be the best policy right now.

"Yes, it is the job of those chosen to make the world better." He laughed a little, shaking his head. "Ah, and here I am giving lectures like I am a teacher, or a senior student. I have not even gotten your name yet."

"I apologize for my rudeness." I felt like I was walking uneven ground without any knowledge of why. "I'm Yulia Gladiola, a pleasure to meet you."

"Gladiola?" He looked intrigued suddenly. "You wouldn't happen to be Dr. Gladiola's daughter, would you?"

"I am, yes." I wasn't too surprised. While most people would hear 'Gladiola' and gush about Mom, this guy was clearly more on the scholarly side of things. He'd known Dad more than Mom.

"I'm sorry for your loss. He was one of the few truly kind people in this world." He shook his head. "Brilliant man as well. I've read many of his research papers."

"Based on your own work, I would've thought you'd focus more on scientific papers than what Dad wrote. He was a cultural anthropologist, after all." Though Dad did do a lot of research on Pokemon too, since so much of our lives was tied with them.

"That's how fascinating his papers were." He smiled slightly before looking at me in concern. "How are you, though? Such a tragedy…"

"I'm… healing." I tried not to squirm. It seemed odd that he'd take the time to ask about me, a complete stranger. "Thank you, though."

"Do not hesitate to seek additional help if you need it." He smiled almost gently and gave me a studying look. "I once heard Dr. Gladiola mention his daughter had a certain je ne sais quoi about her. I see he was right." He turned back to the receptionist, and gave her that almost charming smile. "I'll be back another time to talk to Augustine. Thank you."

He nodded a goodbye to me as he walked off and I stared after him, feeling a bit… off. He seemed nice, but at the same time, I wondered if I was just looking at a mask… then I wondered if I was just being paranoid. My best friend had been nice, but he'd also been the serial arsonist who ultimately killed my dad, _and_ a bunch of our friends without a care…

"Yulia!" Shauna's cheerful call was all the warning I got before she jumped me from behind, nearly choking and sending me to the ground since she was shorter than me. "There you are!" she laughed, hopping back. As I rubbed my neck, I noticed the boys get off the elevator and join us. "Sina was super disappointed, but Trevor mentioned how late it was. We're all going to go eat, and then find a hotel!" She took my arm and tugged me after her. "Tomorrow, let's explore the city! It's super incredible! I know you'll love it!"

I was pretty certain I'd love anything that involved people _stop snatching my arm and dragging me everywhere_ , but I'd settle for food. I was rather hungry, and it gave me some time to forget about that very strange conversation.

After all, what were the chances that I'd run into Lysandre again, right?

* * *

 _Notes on Belle:_

 _A female Ralts with a Modest Nature. Apparently, natures help influence what stats a Pokemon excel and fail at._

 _A Psychic/Fairy Dual Type, one of the many who were reclassified in the wake of the Fairy Type discovery._

 _Tiny and cozy, she likes sitting in my lap, especially when I'm reading something. I should get a few books to read with her._

* * *

Author's notes: So, fun fact. During my 'playthrough to remember things', the very first Pokemon I encountered on this route was a Ralts. And now we have four Pokemon in our roster. Also, we see Sycamore at last, and a proper appearance from Lysandre.

The best definitions I could find for 'Je Ne Sais Quoi' basically involved 'an undefinable, elusive quality, especially pleasing'. So, I'm going off that for the meaning.

Next Chapter - Exploring Lumiose City


	5. Chapter 5) Luminescence

Chapter 5) Luminescence

* * *

 _Well, I'm in Lumiose City, and the people here are weird. Sycamore and Lysandre both unnerve me, mostly because of their masks. Sycamore, though, seems to be a genuinely good person ultimately, but Lysandre… well, it doesn't matter. I doubt I'll ever see him again._

 _Instead of continuing on, the group decided to spend the day relaxing in the city. I didn't find the place very relaxing, but they insisted on dragging me along. I just wanted to sleep._

* * *

The next day, Shauna woke me up at 'too early' o'clock to go get our hair done in this 'famous' hair salon, as a 'girl bonding' thing. I ended up getting lowlights to my hair, while she got highlights. Afterwards, we met the boys for brunch in a relatively nice restaurant, especially for our respective budgets.

That all I understood, even if it irritated me. What I did not really understand was how Calem and I ended up in a double battle against some waiters and chefs!

"Frogadier, Quick Attack!"

"Gwen, take the other one out with a Flame Charge."

Calem's Frogadier struck first, knocking Chef Roger's Panpour out easily. Gwen's Flame Charge wasn't far behind, though, and sent Chef Roger's Pansage skidding back before they fell on their face, knocked out. This was the third such round, and Calem and I were surprisingly in-sync by this point. Maybe it was because both of us had sent out our starters for these battles, and they knew each other well. So, it was no real surprise that we won easily. Chef Roger praised us and left, again, while we returned to our table, with all the guests clapping and cheering. Apparently, whatever this all was, it was common enough that people paid for the meal just to watch the 'show' if you will.

"I hope that's the last bit," Calem sighed. He pulled out my chair for me, before sitting down too. I'd tried to refuse the first time, but the distinctly uncomfortable looks from the others, including Shauna, who I thought would be on 'my side' so to speak, told me this was a very serious manners thing in Kalos, so I simply smiled and went along. Some part of me was curious, but the rest was just… still too tired. I could sleep for days. I wished I could. "It's a bit annoying constantly getting up to battle."

"I also don't get the whole 'recommend you eat in X minutes' thing," I grumbled. It added more stress than I thought was reasonable for a meal. "Who lived here again?"

"I did, but I don't remember anything like this."

"Same here," Shauna added. She smiled and leaned over the table to poke Trevor's arm. "Trevor?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's because they bring out the food while it's still either cooking or setting," Trevor answered. He bit into some sort of tart thing and smiled sweetly. "You pay extra for them to not do that, but this is cheaper. Since we have a budget thing that I know Tierno and Shauna are going to blow through for clothes shopping, I figured this was better."

"Warning them might've been good."

"I told you to do that, since I went to wash my hands."

"Wait, you did?"

"So, basically, it's Shauna's fault," Tierno teased. Shauna squeaked a protest, but the others laughed. I picked at my food, not really that hungry. I knew I should eat, if only because Trevor and Tierno were footing the bill, but I just… wasn't hungry. "But anyway, Yulia? Professor Sycamore mentioned your father was a researcher?"

"My father?" I repeated, mostly to figure out if I heard correctly. Based on the little warning glares everyone sent Tierno, and how guilty Tierno suddenly looked, I would say the answer was 'yes'. "He was a cultural anthropologist, specializing in myths. We did a lot of research into Pokemon as well, since they tie in so heavily."

"Like what?" His eyes went round, and even the others, though looking guilty, leaned forward eagerly, clearly interested. "Do you mind? I mean…"

"Well, you have the story of the Great War." I closed my eyes as I remembered that story. It hurt. Dad and I had been discussing the story and theories when the fire… "You know the gist, right? There was the king who lost someone dear, and he crafted a weapon that stole the lives of others and from their deaths, gave new life to the someone dear, only to turn around and destroy everything." My throat closed up and I coughed to clear it. I remembered arguing with Dad about how the 'weapon' was likely actually a powerful Pokemon, possibly imported from another region, right before we smelled the smoke. "And then, at the end of it, the someone dear abandons the king. The whole story reflects a lot of Kalosi beliefs."

"Really?"

"Yes." I nodded, and I couldn't help smiling now. "In many Kalosi stories, you find a few running themes, actually. Death is a necessary part of life, and life is not possible without the death of something. In order for life to continue, destruction must happen, but wanton destruction is something to be abhorred and looked down upon… You see those lessons in other regions, but the Kalosi have a specific emphasis on it, right up to the legendary pokemon associated with the region: Yveltal and Xerneas, the Mortality Duo. And so..." I trailed off as I realized the others were staring. "Um…"

"Wow, you have a really pretty smile, Yulia," Shauna breathed. She giggled. "Sorry, but between the story and the smile, we were just enraptured!"

I was saved from answering by the owner appearing, babbling something about what 'lovely' customers we've been, and how we were presented with fifteen 'tiny mushrooms' of a particular genus that sounded vaguely familiar. While they all talked about how silly that all was, and what they'd do with the mushrooms, I did a quick search on my Holo Caster for the estimate sale value of the things, and then did a bit of multiplying. Then I redid my math, twice. Then I double checked I had the right mushrooms, twice. Finally, I checked our bill, compared the two numbers, and looked to the others with the most 'you have got to be kidding me' look I could muster.

"Did we seriously just get _paid_ to eat here?"

* * *

After food, Calem went off on his own to do whatever, Tierno went to do this 'Trainer Vid' nonsense, and Trevor went home to visit his sister. Shauna decided we should sell the mushrooms and go clothes shopping. Of course, some of the shops were very, _very_ snobbish and refused to let us stick around because of 'style' or… some sort of nonsense. So, we shopped more for accessories, like necklaces or sunglasses.

However, at some point, we started looking at flowers, and, as Shauna bought some white lillies, she asked if I could accompany her somewhere. I agreed automatically, and this was how we went from shopping to visiting a graveyard on the outskirts of the city.

It was a very quiet place, strangely so considering the bustle of the city. It was also incredibly grey, in sharp contrast to the bright colors I had seen in Kalos. The path between all the graves was paved with white-grey gravel, which crunched under our feet as Shauna easily navigated around the numerous tombstones and decaying flowers. I wrinkled my nose as we passed a particularly moldy bunch, set on a grave overgrown with vines and moss. It was impossible to read anything but the death date on the tombstone: 100 years ago.

The graves Shauna walked to, though, weren't that old. They did look a little… less clean… compared to some of the other graves, but Shauna easily cleared out the weeds and moss and you could still read the names without that.

"Thanks for coming with me," Shauna said as she carefully split the flowers into two bunches and set them under the names. Strangely, she kept two for herself. "I always make sure to visit my parents when I visit Lumiose."

"Ah, so this is them?" I asked. I felt awkward, so I just read the graves, noting their names, Ali and Salma Kouri, and that their death dates were actually one day apart. Based on what I remembered from Shauna's story, I wondered if one died in the emergency room, while the other was killed outright. That's what happened to Maria. We'd both been in the hospital, but while I survived, she'd died in the ICU. "Why…?"

"Why bring you?" She glanced up and smiled sadly as I nodded. "Mostly, I hate being alone when I visit them. But Trevor, Calem, and Tierno all just shuffle awkwardly and cough and… well, it's always worse than being alone." She shrugged and returned her gaze to the grave, tracing the letters. "But I thought… you wouldn't make it awkward. Because you… know the pain. Unlike them."

"...Yeah, I guess I do." I almost asked her then, just how she managed to be cheerful. But the words caught in my throat. "Do you want me to take a step back?"

"No, you're good." She flashed me a sad smile before closing her eyes. It took me a moment to realize she was praying, or having a silent conversation with her parents' ghosts.

I lingered back, glancing around at the other graves. They stretched on and on, as far as the eye could see, and I wondered just how old this graveyard was. If I wandered far enough, would I find graves from the Great War? That was a nonsensical thought, and yet, some part of me couldn't help but be curious.

"Thanks." Shauna's soft voice drew my attention back to her, and she smiled slightly. "I was right," she continued. "You're _much_ better company than them."

"Well, I tend to be quiet anyway," I pointed out, mostly just to say something. "You good?"

"Yeah." She nodded, but her smile fell as she gave me a curious, and concerned look. "May I ask something?"

"Sure."

"Where… is your dad buried?" The question was soft, gentle even, but it made me freeze anyway. "Yulia?"

It took me a long moment before I could answer. "...In Sinnoh." The words burned my tongue. "We moved around a lot, growing up, thanks to Dad's research and Mom's races. But we did have a 'home', in Sinnoh, and that's where we were when… the fire happened." So, that was where he was buried. He and my friends who died in the fire were buried in Sinnoh, and I was here in Kalos.

New life, new house, new clothes, new everything… and not even the chance to show it off to Dad's grave. I couldn't visit him. I couldn't sob in front of his grave. I couldn't visit my friends. I couldn't sob in front of their graves. Hell, I wouldn't even get to see that… that _arsonist_ , who had been my best friend, go to trial over it all, because we were in _Kalos_. Mom tried to give us a 'new start' and ripped away everything else before… before I could even come to terms with it! And now I was stuck on this journey with a bunch of strangers, thrown into this… this 'adventure' I never wanted!

"...I'm sorry," Shauna whispered, drawing me from my thoughts. She straightened and tucked a lily into my hair, dislodging my hat in the process. She caught it, though, before it hit the ground. "There's an old Kalos ritual, for mourning those whose graves are far away. It involves the sea, though, and we won't be near for a while." She smiled sweetly. "When we're by the sea, I'll teach you it."

"...Okay," I mumbled. I wasn't… quite sure how to react. Part of me was just angry, because 'how dare she even assume…!'. Part of me was actually touched, because 'she did not have to offer'. Another part of me just wanted to break down, because 'I just want to mourn; why won't anyone let me _mourn_?'. "Thank you." All of it just made me horribly, horrible tired. "I…"

"Let's head back to the hotel for a nap." Her smile warmed. "I'm a bit tired from all the massive deals."

"...Thank you…" This time, the grateful part of me won out. So, I managed a small, small smile. "A nap… sounds good."

* * *

After a nap back at the hotel that left me somewhere between 'well rested' and 'exhausted, Calem called and invited me to meet him at a Cafe nearby, Cafe Soleil. I decided to just go ahead with it, and dragged myself out of bed and met him there. We had a lovely little conversation about nothing before we realized something odd. One, Lysandre was here. Two, Diantha was here. Three, they were talking. Four, it didn't sound like a… well, I thought 'sane' conversation.

"You mentioned that he has difficulties expressing his thoughts?" I asked Calem hesitantly, trying not to squirm as Lysandre mentioned something about 'those with beauty had a duty to remain as such'. I was doing my best to not pay attention. The more he talked, the more I just couldn't help but think he was wearing a mask, one that barely hid his obsession with beauty. But no one else seemed to think anything was wrong, so I wondered if I was just paranoid. Certainly Diantha saw nothing wrong with it, and _she_ was the target!

"That's what everyone says," Calem replied. He casually sipped his coffee, completely unbothered. I really felt like there was something wrong with me and I was jumping at shadows. "It's a bit odd, but you know how the movie industry treats women. Once they reach a certain age, they're often… well…"

"Yes, they're often thrown to the side." I supposed that could just be it. But I couldn't help but be unnerved anyway. I could only hope he didn't notice us, and just leave. "I think I know that a little better than you, no offense."

"Very true." He offered me a pastry, but I shook my head. I hadn't been hungry to begin with, but now, my stomach was definitely in knots. "Oh, looks like he's leaving."

"Oh?" I tried to keep my voice nonchalant, but I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as Lysandre walked right past us, without even a nod of acknowledgement. "So, why did you invite-?"

"Are those Pokedexes?" Diantha, Champion of Kalos, famous actress, probably a famous model too, suddenly plopped down in a chair at our table. "Goodness, you must be dear Augustine's newest students," she laughed, clearly delighted by the thought. I tried not to squirm at all the envious looks sent our way. "Might I know your names, dears?"

"I'm… Calem," Calem answered slowly. He looked rather startled, and star struck. "Calem Durand."

"Durand?" She frowned a little in thought before smiling brightly. "Oh, you're darling Jasmine's son, aren't you?"

"I am, yes." He gestured to me, clearly uncomfortable and clearly trying to change the subject. Someone didn't like being recognized through his parents. "This is Yulia, by the way. Yulia Gladiola."

"Oh, the daughter of the famous Rhyhorn Racer?" Her smile warmed and I smiled politely. I was used to this sort of thing, and, well, I was proud of my parents. I didn't mind being recognized through them, especially since I hadn't done anything of note. "It's so lovely to meet you. Oh, I could spend the whole day chatting with you two. I'm quite curious about dear Augustine's students, and-" A little alarm cut her off, and she frowned as she pulled out her Holo Caster from her pocket. "Oh, drat. I have a photoshoot." She stood up, looking almost reluctant. "I hope we have more time to chat next time we meet, darlings. Ta~!" She was off easily, with a grace that I thought surprising considering the giant-ass bow she had, large enough to mimic wings.

"She was… a whirlwind?" I finally said. I shouldn't be surprised that a movie star had a such a great presence, but… "So, back to what I was saying." I focused on Calem, who looking a little dazed. " _Why_ did you invite me, and only me, here?"

"Oh, right," Calem replied. He blinked owlishly, before shaking his head. "Well, I was thinking. Why don't you and I sorta… compete? As rivals. During this journey, I mean."

"Rivals?"

"Yes, to become stronger." He shrugged. "It was just a thought. I thought it would be fun."

"Oh?" I narrowed my eyes, feeling a little… rankled. Something about the way he said it… "Are you trying to 'fix' me?"

"No." He said the word firmly, firmly enough that I almost believed him. "I'm not. I just think it'll be more fun with you."

"You barely know me."

"I know the others."

"...Okay, point." I sighed and gave him a look. "Well, all right. But you're paying for everything."

His startled laugh echoed throughout the cafe, and I did have to smile slightly. He seemed genuine enough, even if I thought this was all pointless. I could deal.

* * *

 _Notes of Myths:_

 _Every region in the world has its own set of myths and legends, though how important they are to the culture depends on the region. Kanto, for instance, does not focus heavily on their myths, barely paying any sort of homage to their Legendary Birds. Neighboring Johto, however, has festivals many times a year to pay homage to Ho-Oh, Lugia, and the Legendary Beasts._

 _Every region is home to Legendary Pokemon, though, with Sinnoh being particularly infamous for just how many are associated with it. Each one has 'unofficial' names to help refer to them collectively._

 _Kalos, in particular, is a region that has mostly forgotten its own myths, focusing far more on the future and ignoring the lessons of the past. That makes me sad, truthfully, as that's when history is more likely to repeat itself, and Kalos has a very brutal history._

* * *

Author's note: So, in the restaurants, if you follow the turn counts exactly, you're actually MAKE money because they'll give you mushrooms that you can sell. There's no mention of a graveyard in game; it's just here to tie in more with Shauna's backstory. Trevor does actually have a sister, in-game. 'Mortality Duo' is a fan-name for Yveltal and Xerneas.

Next Chapter - Camphrier Town


End file.
